Given that I have spent so much time around dogs, I can confidently say that they are very intelligent, but I think their best trait is that they are so good at helping other people.
Whenever you need them, they are there even if it’s something as simple as giving a hug or something more difficult, like helping you find your way back. Something similar happened to these rescuers.
Although I must admit, I have never quite seen a story like this. It illustrates almost perfectly why dogs are our best companions. They will always find a way to help us.
A Long Search
When a woman with dementia decided to take her dog around nature in Utah, nobody had seen her do it. She just left and her family was shocked by the realization.
Her husband and the entire family noticed that she was gone and they were immediately struck by horrible fear. They started looking for her but soon realized they would need more help.
The family went to the sheriff’s office and reported that a woman with dementia had gone missing. The officers immediately set up a search and rescue operation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources.
They called for some extra help wherever they could. Officer James Thomas and his K9 dog, Kip, joined the operation.
He told GeoBeats Animals: “We ended up spending the rest of that night looking, so this would be night two. The temperatures that day probably were around hundred. At night, they would drop down pretty cool, probably around 50, 60 degrees.”
The search lasted very long, but the rescuers would then get a clue as to where she might be when they heard the woman’s dog barking.
They Finally Found Her
This was great news for the Utah rescuers, as they could narrow down their search, thanks to her dog. When they changed directions, they started looking again.
They were hoping to hear the barks again, and their hopes came true. At around 3:30 in the morning, they heard the dog again.
This, in turn, narrowed their search even further, and they were getting closer with each passing minute.
James said: “When me and the neighbor set out, the neighbor is actually the one that came up on her. The dog, when we were getting close, started barking a little bit, which indicated us to exactly where she was.”
When they finally found the missing woman, her dog was sitting next to her and just growling at the rescuers. He was not sure who they were and wanted to protect his owner.
The Most Loyal Doggo
This loyal dog stayed with her owner despite the fact that he was probably hungry and had spent days wandering around the forest.
His barks were likely due to other animals getting too close to the woman, so he wanted to chase them away.
What he didn’t know was that he indirectly showed his rescuers the way. When he realized that these people were there to help, he finally relaxed and became friendly.
The rescuers came to the conclusion that she was sticking around the warmer parts of the forest where there was water, and that’s how she and her dog managed to survive.
James said: “Without her dog being with her, it could have been a completely different story. We would’ve kept looking and looking for her, but the amount of time it took us, it could have been longer without the dog barking throughout the night and giving us an idea where to look.”
After the search was finally over, the woman was happy to go home and be reunited with her family. It’s thanks to these amazing rescuers and the woman’s dog that this story has a happy ending.
This story also confirms yet again just how loyal dogs are to us and how they are always there for us when we need them the most. I hope this sweet pup is rewarded for this.