An elderly woman who was hiking and walking her dogs with her husband when they got lost survived four days in the woods likely because of her pup.
Pamela Helmstadter, 72, and her husband John Helmstadter, 82, went out with their dogs in Washington County, Maine, on October 13 and went off trail, according to game wardens.
John fell and could not get up, and the couple did not have mobile phones.
‘(Pamela) was more physically capable than he was, and they made the decision for him to stay put and her to try and go out and find help,’ Maine Warden Service Sgt Josh Beal told WMTW.
But the wife became disoriented and could not find her way back home.
A neighbor of the Helmstadters noticed that a package left on their porch was still there the next day and that one of the dogs was around the home but the couple were missing.
The neighbor alerted authorities and a search effort started at night.
On Thursday, search planes flew over Pamela five times and spotted her just as she nearly concluded that all hope was lost. She was found around 2.30pm and had severe hypothermia and a body temperature of 90.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
Her husband was found 200 yards away from her and deceased.
Pamela is believed to have survived the cool temperatures and rain thanks to her loyal dog.
‘When the K-9 team located her, her dog was being very protective of her and even laid down on top of her on her chest,’ Beal said.
‘It sounds like that’s what the dog would do at night, as well, to help keep her warm.’
Pamela was rushed to a hospital where she is recovering, he said.
She was saved just weeks after a 13-year-old rescue dog named Gita led a cop to its elderly owner who was laying on the ground near a small cabin in Stevens County, Washington, after falling and hurting his leg.
‘We credit Gita for saving his life that day,’ stated the local sheriff’s office.
‘The loyalty and heroism of our furry friends never cease to amaze us.’
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