Hero dog is hailed for saving elderly owner with dementia after she wandered out of cabin and got lost in Utah mountains for three days
A dog who led rescue teams to his dementia-stricken owner when she was lost in the Utah mountains is being hailed as a hero.
The elderly woman disappeared on June 24 after walking her dog near her family’s cabin.
When she didn’t return, rescuers began scouring Joe’s Valley in Emery County, where temperatures were 100 degrees.
After no sign of the woman for several days, the team gave up hope until the barking of her dog led them to her location.
“She was really lucky she had her dog with her,” said conservationist James Thomas, who found the woman. ABC4.
A dog-led rescuer, James Thomas, and his K-9 partner Kip (pictured) led to their owner with dementia while she was lost in the Utah mountains has been hailed as a hero
The discovery was made after rescuers and neighbors reported hearing barking in the wilderness.
Thomas set out with his K-9 partner Kip, but they were limited by the extreme heat, meaning Kip could only work for short periods of time.
Hope quickly faded as the sun set and the woman still hadn’t been found. Daytime temperatures were high, but at night the mercury dropped to 55F.
The next day, surveillance footage showed the woman and her chocolate Labrador walking west toward the mountain.
Thomas, Kip and a concerned neighbor set out and began searching higher up in the terrain.
As they climbed the mountain, the barking became louder and louder, until they finally arrived at the woman’s location.
She was severely dehydrated, shoeless and covered in scratches and bruises.
“She thought she was only gone for 10 minutes,” Thomas said. “It was a good feeling to see her alive. It was pretty remarkable what she had been 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 his water and went back into the neighborhood to connect to her cell phone and alert the sheriff, while the deputy stayed with her.
She was then taken to hospital for a medical examination.
“Ultimately, her dog saved her life by barking and alerting our officer and K-9 Kip,” Utah Division of Wildlife Services said in a Facebook post. “We are so glad she was found safe.”
Last weekend, three hikers in Utah died due to 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 in Canyonlands National Park.
Also, a 30-year-old woman was found dead in Snow Canyon State Park, as rescuers responded to reports of another person suffering from heat exhaustion.