Golden Retriever Survives 5 Months in Corn Fields After Escaping Grooming Session in Iowa

Molly the dog lost almost 40 pounds during her time away from home

An Iowa family is relieved after being reunited with their dog, Molly, who went missing for five months.

On June 15, Molly's parents, Randy and Cynthia Ruth, brought the golden retriever to Spitfire Farm in Anita for an appointment with groomer Rose Shoemaker. Molly — who was microchipped but not wearing a collar — decided to exit the grooming session early, escaping through an open door and into the tall corn surrounding the farm.

"Molly jumped off my grooming table and ran out the door into farmland where the corn had just started to get quite tall. She was seen several times for the first couple of months, and lots and lots of effort was put forth to find her. However, no one could catch her," Shoemaker tells PEOPLE of the canine's disappearance.

Related: Pit Bull Overlooked by Adopters for 4 Years Is Still Hoping to Find a Best Friend and New Home

Spitfire Farm employees tried luring Molly in with toys, treats, and members of her family, but she still couldn't be captured. According to Shoemaker, the "small, supportive community" of Anita helped the farm and the dog's owners scour the area.

The farm kept the searchers posted on Molly the dog sightings through social media, and eventually, "with the help of so many different people looking and keeping eyes open," the canine's luck changed.

Nearly five months after disappearing, farmers found and captured the lost pet. Per local news station KCCI, the farmers stumbled upon Molly in a field on Sunday, Oct. 29. The lucky locaters quickly alerted the pooch's family, who were surprised and delighted.

"He said she's alive. He said she stood up as he came through the field with the combine," Randy told KCCI.

Related: 3-Legged Dog Missing for 246 Days Is Back Home in Iowa City Thanks to Local Animal Rescue Group

Molly lost close to 40 pounds while away from home, so she required some medical attention but is recovering nicely.

Shoemaker is ecstatic and relieved to have Molly back with her family as well.

"Lots of happy tears were shed by me for sure," she says.

While five months is certainly a long time for a dog to go missing, PEOPLE previously reported on a pit bull named Bentley who went missing in Memphis, Tenn. — before he was found alive in Philadelphia three years later. Although his owner had since passed away from cancer, Bentley was reunited with the owner's sister, who was thrilled to have him back.

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"I don't know how he got all the way to Philadelphia, but I am so grateful," she said in a Facebook video from the Animal Care & Control Team of Philadelphia (ACCT Philly), the rescue that reunited the duo. "He was all we had to remember her by."

"Bentley, I love you so much," she tells the dog. "You don't know what this means to me."

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