Dog refused to leave dead owner's side, led rescuers to body

EATONVILLE, Washington -- A 64-year-old man died while on a hike and his loyal dog Daisy refused to leave his side until help arrived.

The man's wife called 911 early Thursday morning to report that her husband, their dog, and car were missing. She said he did not leave a note, but often goes hiking with the dog.

Search-and-rescue teams found the man's car just before 5 p.m. Inside, they found a map of geocaching locations in the area.

An hour later, one of the searchers heard the sound of a dog barking in the distance. The searcher soon spotted a dog matching the description of Daisy up a steep embankment above the Marshall River.

Searchers found Daisy next to the man's body.

"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," deputies wrote in a press release. "Without the barking of his loyal companion Daisy, we never would have located the missing man. It was amazing."

According to KCPQ, the Pierce County Medical Examiner said the man died from a type of heart disease.