Last month, a lost Utah woman with dementia was finally rescued with the help of two dogs. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources recently shared the incident on Facebook. The agency commended the work of the woman’s pet dog and a K-9 officer, who worked together to help find and save her. Although dehydrated and slightly injured, she was doing well overall and was promptly transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
Working dog rescues lost woman with dementia with her beloved pet’s help
In June, the Emery County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an 80-year-old woman going missing after she went out for a walk with her dog, per PEOPLE. Since the woman had dementia, people were all the more concerned about her safety. Soon after, a Utah Division of Wildlife Resources official and K-9 officer, Kip, started looking for the 80-year-old. They also had the help of a local, Ralph Mitchell, for the rescue mission.
It was already dark outside when they started their rescue operations. Although the temperatures had dropped to about 55 degrees by the time they started looking for her, earlier in the day, the area’s temperature was as high as 100 degrees, raising further concerns about the missing woman’s health.
Finally, at around 3:30 a.m., Kip and his handler heard a dog barking. However, when they looked around, they couldn’t find anyone. The following day, a local also reported hearing a canine barking. The working dog and his handler finally found the lost woman with dementia up the mountains and helped rescue her.
She was dehydrated and had some cuts and bruises. Moreover, she was missing her shoes when the rescue team found her. However, she was in good condition and was sent to a nearby hospital soon after for further check-ups.
Her canine companion stayed by her side through the ordeal, saving her life with the barking. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources noted that the two dogs played a vital role in the rescue mission and immensely helped with saving the lost woman with dementia.
