A “miracle dog” who survived after spending more than 10 weeks faithfully staying by her owner’s side who died of hypothermia while on a mountain trek is on the road to recovery.
As Breitbart News reported, Rich Moore, 71, of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, set out with his tiny Jack Russell terrier named Finney to climb Blackhead Peak on Aug. 19, but didn’t return home. A dayslong search between the peak and the hiker’s vehicle was unsuccessful.
A hunter found his body and a very protective Finney in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado on Oct. 30.
Finney somehow survived likely by hunting small animals such as mice while also managing to avoid predators like mountain lions, coyotes and bears, a rescuer said.
The brave little girl had lost about half her body weight during the ordeal and her ribs were visible, officials outlined.
This image provided by Dana Holby shows her Jack Russell terrier Finney on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023, in Pagosa Springs, Colo., after returning from the mountains. Finney survived, losing half her body weight, after spending more than 10 weeks faithfully by the side of her owner, Rich Moore, who died of hypothermia while hiking in the Colorado mountains. (Dana Holby via AP)
Less than three weeks later, “Finney is doing well,” Moore’s wife, Dana Holby, told the Associated Press on Thursday. “She has gained almost all of her weight back and her strength is almost where it was. She is the miracle dog.”
She does have an injury on her snout that might leave a scar, Holby said, adding, “She is now 3, very clingy and will not let me out of her sight. Her ravenous appetite has calmed down, but at first she could not get enough to eat and wanted food at all times of the day and night.”
Finney’s survival story has made her famous on the hiking trails around Pagosa Springs, Holby affirmed to AP.
“People say, ‘Is that Finney?’” to which Holby responds with an enthusiastic,“Yes!”
This image provided by Dana Holby shows her Jack Russell terrier Finney patiently waiting for a treat on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, in Pagosa Springs, Colo. (Dana Holby via AP)
“She is such a comfort to me and a great companion on hikes,” covering four to five miles a day, Holby said.
“I know that she was with Rich to the very end and somehow that should be a comfort. I don’t know how she did it, but she was there when he needed her.”
According to CBS News, a month prior to Finney and her fight to survive, “a missing 29-year-old hiker was found dead in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park with his dog by his side. Family members said it appeared the dog hadn’t left his side for two weeks.”