HOLLY, Mich. (WXYZ) — A miniature donkey named Dolly Parton is back home safe after escaping from her Holly Township farm Tuesday night, sparking a community-wide search involving neighbors, animal rescues and Michigan State Police.
Watch Carli Petrus's video report:
The escape happened around 8 p.m. when a high school student helping with farm chores accidentally left a gate open at Freeman Farm. Dolly escaped with her companion, Henry, another donkey.
"We knew time was not in our favor," said Jason Freeman, Dolly's owner.
Henry returned home around 9 p.m., but Dolly remained missing, prompting Freeman to call police for help.
The power of social media quickly mobilized the community. A Facebook post about the missing donkey brought neighbors and nearby animal rescues together to join the search.
"The immediate feeling was how do we help right now," said Jay Reynolds, manager of Abraham Ranch, who organized a rescue group with harnesses and lead ropes to assist in the search.
A neighbor provided the first lead when surveillance cameras captured Dolly and Henry strolling through a driveway about half a mile from the farm at 8:37 p.m.
Michigan State Police troopers assigned to Holly Township began searching the rural area. Lt. Mike Shaw said lost farm animals aren't uncommon in the northern Oakland County community.
"It happens quite a bit. For people that don't know where Holly Twp. is, it's up at the northern part of Oakland County, so it's pretty rural so we've ended up chasing down cows up there before," Shaw said.
A sergeant found Dolly wandering on a side road around 10:30 p.m. and coordinated with the search teams to safely return her home.
"We were able to contact those that were also looking for her and kind of lure her to a location and get her back where she belongs," Shaw said.
Freeman said the incident serves as a reminder about farm safety protocols.
"You know, we just have to make sure when we go through a gate that we close the gate behind us. Just know that if they get an opportunity to wander, they're going to wander," Freeman said.
For those who might question the extensive search effort for farm animals, Shaw emphasized that helping all community members — including animals — is part of their job, especially given the cold temperatures that night.
Freeman considers his animals family members.
"These are just an extension of our family, they're like our kids. We tuck them in every night. We take amazing care of them and we take pride in that and you know, we love them," Freeman said.
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