Hiker Missing 10 Weeks Found Dead, His Dog Alive by His Side

14-year-old Jack Russell terrier has been reunited with family
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 14, 2023 2:30 AM CST
Hiker Missing 2 Months Found Dead, His Dog Alive by His Side
A view of Colorado's San Juan Mountains.   (Getty Images / Jeffengeloutdoors.com)

On the evening of August 19, when hiker Rich Moore and his dog, Finney, failed to return from a hike in Colorado's San Juan Mountains, Moore was reported missing. Tragically, more than 10 weeks later, the 71-year-old's body was recently found. But, astonishingly, his 14-year-old Jack Russell terrier was still by his side—and still alive, 9 News reports. The pair had planned to summit Blackhead Peak, just east of Pagosa Springs; the standard route to the summit at 12,500 feet is about three miles one-way, the Denver Gazette reports. After Moore was reported missing, search and rescue crews spent nearly 2,000 hours searching in the area where they went missing.

A local hunter found Moore's body in the Lower Blanco drainage basin on October 30. It's not clear how he died, but foul play is not suspected. After scouting for a suitable landing area, members of the sheriff's office as well as the search and rescue team were flown to the area the day after Moore's body was found and were able to recover his body as well as Finney, who was taken to a veterinarian for evaluation. She has since been reunited with her family. (More Colorado stories.)

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