Body of hiker found with dog still by his side

Months after his disappearance in August, the body Rich Moore, a Colorado hiker, was discovered by a local hunter near Blackhead Peak in southwestern Colorado. He was not alone: next to him was his Jack Russell terrier, Finney. Despite having lost half his body weight, Finney was alive and has since been reunited with Moore’s family.

Though the cause of Moore’s passing remains undetermined, authorities do not suspect foul play, according to Sheriff Mike Le Roux.

Moore had set out to hike on Blackhead Peak, a towering 12,500-foot mountain east of his Pagosa Springs home, when he was reported missing on 19 August. The search efforts, which encompassed aerial, ground, and K9 teams, totaled an exhaustive 2,000 hours scouring the Blackhead Peak vicinity – but Moore was not found until now.

This is not the first time a dog stays next to their deceased owner after a hike turned deadly. Last year in Arizona, a search-and-rescue operation recovered the body of a 74-year-old hiker, accompanied by his severely dehydrated and exhausted dog, Ranger.

Earlier this year Italy, a dog refused to leave the body of her owner after he collapsed on a hike due to a sudden heart attack, and had to be sedated so that the body could be taken away.

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