Dogs are, no doubt, man’s best friend – and this story of an 80-year-old woman with dementia who was saved by her devoted chocolate Labrador further proves it.
The 5-year-old chocolate Labrador, named Elsie, stayed with her owner for three days and two nights until she could alert rescue crews of their whereabouts.
According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources’ post on July 11, the woman went out to walk the family dog on the mountainside and didn’t return for over a day.
USA Today reports that the woman’s family were busy making dinner when they realized that the woman had gone missing. They immediately contacted Emery County Sheriff’s Office for help.
Ralph Mitchell, a local neighbor who has known the missing woman’s family for over 50 years and helped search for her, told USA Today that the extensive search for the woman involved the sheriff’s office, local authorities, and also members of the community.
Helicopters and drones were deployed, personnel were dispatched, and members of the community went door to door looking for the woman.
James Thomas, a K9 officer with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, along with his partner K9 Kip, joined the search mission on the second day.
“K-9 Kip is trained and certified to track humans. But, due to the extreme heat, the amount of time that had passed and the many search-and-rescue personnel in the area, the likelihood of Kip successfully tracking the woman was low,” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources wrote in their statement.
During officer Thomas and Kip’s search, the department revealed that the two briefly heard a dog barking at around 3:30 AM.
The department wrote, “They moved their search toward the barking, thinking it might be the missing woman’s dog, but they didn’t find her.”
The next day, Mitchell told officer Thomas that he has also heard barking in an area without any homes.
“After gaining access to local security cameras, they saw footage of the woman walking past with her dog, heading to the east,” the department revealed.
The search continued and as the group searched higher along the mountainside, they heard a dog barking again.
The woman was found in generally good condition, although she was reportedly dehydrated, with a few scratches and bruises, and missing shoes.
When further help arrived, the woman was transported to the local hospital for medical evaluation.
The department said, “At the end of the day, her dog saved her life by barking to alert those searching in the area. We’re so glad she was found safe.”
