A missing hiker's body may have never been found if not for his loyal dog's barking that lead rescue workers to their location.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Department said the 64-year-old man had gone hiking Wednesday and took his dog, Daisy, with him. When he didn't return by the next morning, his wife called police and reported he had gone missing from their home in the Eatonville area, sheriff's officials said in a statement on Facebook.
"The missing man reportedly often went hiking with his dog, but did not leave a note where he was going and had failed to return home after dark," the sheriff's department said. "The man's wife reported finding recent internet searches by her husband for geocaching in the Evans Creek area."
Authorities located the man's car which contained a list of geocache locations that rescue workers used to try and determine the missing hiker's location.
As rescue workers searched through the woods, one deputy said he started hearing a dog bark near him.
"The deputy continued hiking toward the sound of the dog's barking, and spotted a dog matching the description of Daisy up a very steep embankment above the Marshall River," the sheriff's department said.
The deputy made his way through the thick forest until reaching Daisy, who was sitting by his owner. The sheriff's department said the man died from what appeared to be injuries sustained from a fall.
"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," the department said. "Without the barking of his loyal companion Daisy, we never would have located the missing man."
Photo: Pierce County Sheriff's Department