A dog who led rescue teams to his dementia-stricken owner while she was lost in the Utah mountains has been hailed as a hero.
The elderly woman disappeared after walking her dog near her family’s cabin on June 24.
When he didn’t return, rescuers began scouring Joe’s Valley in Emery County in scorching 100-degree heat.
After a few days with no sign of the woman, the team lost hope when the sound of her dog barking managed to guide them to her location.
“She was very lucky to have her dog with her,” said conservation officer James Thomas, who found the woman. ABC4.
A dog who guided rescuer James Thomas and his K-9 partner Kip (pictured) to his owner with dementia while she was lost in the Utah mountains has been hailed as a hero.
The discovery came after rescuers and neighbors reported hearing barking in the desert.
Thomas went out with his K-9 partner, Kip, but they were limited by the extreme heat, which meant Kip could only work for a short period of time at a time.
Hope was fading fast as the sun set and the woman had not been found. While daytime temperatures were high, overnight the mercury dropped to 55°F.
The next day, a review of surveillance footage showed the woman and her chocolate Labrador walking west toward the mountain.
Thomas, Kip, and a concerned neighbor went outside and began searching further up the land.
As they climbed the mountain the barking grew louder until they were finally led to the woman’s location.
She was severely dehydrated, missing her shoes and covered in scratches and bruises.
“She thought she had only been missing for about 10 minutes,” Thomas said. “Seeing her still alive was a nice feeling. It was pretty amazing what she had to go through.”
The elderly woman disappeared after walking her dog near her family’s cabin in Joe’s Valley, Emery County.
She was missing for three days before her dog’s barking led rescuers to her location.
The neighbor gave her water and returned to the subdivision to get a cell signal and notify the sheriff while the deputy stayed with her.
She was then taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation.
“At the end of the day, her dog saved her life by barking to alert our officer and K-9 Kip,” the Utah Division of Wildlife Services said in a Facebook post. “We are so glad she was found safe.”
Last weekend, three hikers died in Utah amid the scorching heat.
Among the victims were Albino Herrera Espinoza, 52, and his daughter Beatriz Herrera, 23, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, who became lost and ran out of water while in Canyonlands National Park.
A 30-year-old woman was also found dead at Snow Canyon State Park as rescuers responded to reports of another person with heat exhaustion.
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