Search Party Follows Dog’s Desperate Cries, Finds Her in the Woods by Owner’s Side
A family dog named Daisy is credited with leading a rescue team to her deceased owner’s body in a densely wooded area of Washington state.
On April 24, a 64-year-old man from Eatonville, Washington, loaded up his dog for a day of hiking, an activity he regularly enjoyed, according to his wife.
The man’s wife became concerned when the pair did not return by sunset, and contacted local authorities.
The man did not tell his wife exactly where he planned to hike, but did leave some clues behind as to his whereabouts.
“The missing man reportedly often went hiking with his dog, but did not leave a note where he was going and had failed to return home after dark,” the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department wrote on Facebook.
“The man’s wife reported finding recent internet searches by her husband for geocaching in the Evans Creek area.”
Eatonville man dies while hiking but dog doesn’t leave his side for two days. https://t.co/PzWGqmDPUV
— Tacoma News Tribune (@thenewstribune) April 27, 2019
On April 25, authorities spent the entire day searching the area and found the man’s vehicle around 4:45 p.m., the Tacoma News Tribune reported.
Inside the vehicle was a list of geocaching locations the man had written down, and authorities immediately started searching in those areas.
About one hour into the geocache search, a deputy heard the distant sound of a dog barking.
“The deputy continued hiking toward the sound of the dog’s barking, and spotted a dog matching the description of Daisy up a very steep embankment above the Marshall River (sic),” the sheriff’s department wrote, apparently referring to the Mashell River. “Our deputy hiked another 30 minutes through the thick woods and brush up to the dog’s location, where he located the missing man; the victim was deceased from what appears to be injuries sustained during a fall.”
A rescue team was able to retrieve the man’s body, and Daisy was sent home after spending two days and one long night waiting faithfully by her owner’s side.
According to the Tacoma News Tribune, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that the man had died from heart disease.
“This was a very sad end to a tough search, but we are incredibly proud of our deputies and the volunteers efforts to find the missing man and return him to his family,” the department said.
“Without the barking of his loyal companion Daisy, we never would have located the missing man.”
CORRECTION, May 4, 2019: As originally published, this article quoted a Sheriff’s Department statement that Daisy had been spotted near the Marshall River. However, that appears to have been a typo on their part that we did not catch, and the river involved is actually the Mashell.
We have therefore included an explanatory note after the quotation, and we apologize for any confusion we may have caused.
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