Woman slipped her missing dog’s poster into a school principal’s mailbox —days later, what unfolded inside the middle school left her stunned

Owner explained that her senior dog was losing his sight and hearing, which made finding him especially difficult.

PUBLISHED 13 HOURS AGO

(L) A missing dog poster. (R) School children having a discussion. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L) Jeffrey Coolidge, (R) Maskot)

Sometimes, a small act can spark something much bigger. One woman in Wisconsin discovered just how powerful community support could be when she tried to find her missing dog. The story began quietly, but what unfolded days later in a middle school moved her to tears. In October 2025, Michele Statz, a resident of Solon Springs, was searching for her 14-year-old dog, Walden, who had gone missing in the area. After the worried owner slipped a missing poster of her pet into a school principal's mailbox, she didn’t know that it would set off a surprising chain of events inside the middle school.

The poster of the missing dog. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | StockSeller_ukr)

As reported by WDIO, Michele explained that Walden was losing his sight and hearing, which made finding him especially difficult. “He’s been around for every major life event in my adult life, really. So just the prospect of losing him in such a sort of scary way was a pretty tough one to stomach,” she shared with the news channel. Michele put flyers in every mailbox in her rural neighborhood, including that of Tanya Kreig, the principal of Northwestern Middle School. Kreig posted the flyer at the school and encouraged students to take photos and show their parents. Soon, the search for Walden spread quickly through the halls of the school and across the surrounding communities of Poplar and Solon Springs.

Happy kids sitting at desk in classroom and talking with teacher. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by Olena Miroschnichenko)

Principal Kreig said the students were eager to help. “I’d see the students down in the cafeteria were talking about it. Pretty soon the buzz started to pick up that about a mile east of where the last poster had been put, which would have been in my mailbox,” she said. Students noticed their own dogs behaving differently and became curious. Middle schoolers, Axel Peterson and Abby Ronchi, among others, reported changes in their pets’ behavior, showing how invested the students were in helping find Walden. This growing interest turned into a small investigation that engaged both students and parents.

A woman hugging her pet dog. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | standret)

The breakthrough came on Halloween when Peterson’s mom spotted Walden near their other pets. “It was my mom that like brought him back to our house because I was in class,” Peterson said. Michele’s husband, Bryan, quickly went to pick him up. Fortunately, Walden had not been injured and was returned home safe and sound. Michele shared that the community’s support had been a comfort during the search. “I received texts from people who had received the flyer. Just checking in and telling me that they were looking for him,” she said. “Every text was such a gift to not feel alone and so worried. It was a very humbling thing. So we feel very grateful for everyone.”

Boy hugging his dog (Image Source: Getty Images | John Howard)

To show their appreciation, Michele and Bryan created a ‘Thank You’ poster for Northwestern Middle School reading, “Walden is home safe and sound.” The students at the school even want to make Walden an honorary Tiger for the Maple School District. Principal Kreig plans to give him gifts in the school colors of black and gold. Michele and her family are thankful for the support and care from the students, staff, and community members, showing how coming together can help even the most challenging situations end happily.