Always by my side… A dog that went missing while hiking was found along with his owner’s body two months later.

• A 71-year-old man and his dog went missing while hiking in the US state of Colorado several months ago.
• The man was found dead, and his dog Finny was miraculously found alive next to the man’s body.
• Officials say Finny, a Jack Russell terrier, has since been reunited with his family.

After all, dogs are “man’s best friend.”

A few months ago, Finny, a Jack Russell terrier who could be described as a true “loyal dog,” went hiking with his owner and never left his side — even after his owner passed away.

Rich Moore, 71, of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, was found dead in late October, according to local authorities and rescue volunteers. Moore’s dog Finny was found alive next to Moore’s body.

Finney’s “loyalty and the fact that this dog was with this person for so long is a very sad tragedy, but also just a beautiful story,” Delinda VanneBrightyn, a member of the Taos Search and Rescue group, told Business Insider. told.

same organizationMoore and Finney went missing on Aug. 19 after heading to Blackhead Peak in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, according to the report.

Rescuers searched for Moore and Finney for nearly 2,000 hours without finding them, authorities said, until a local hunter found Moore’s body and Finney on October 30.

The next day, rescuers arrived at the scene, recovered Moore’s body and brought Finney home. Finney was then treated at a local veterinary hospital and reunited with her family.

VanneBrightyn and her rescue dog took part in the initial search for Moore.

VanneBrightyn told Business Insider that Finny likely managed to survive for several months by drinking water from a nearby stream and catching small animals such as field mice.

VanneBrightyn said Finny weighed 12 pounds when she went hiking with Moore, but was down to 6 pounds when she was found.

“Now that I think about it, I don’t think Finny was eating much,” VanneBrightyn said. Finney owed his survival to having a nearby water source.

The cause of Moore’s death is not yet known, but authorities say no crime is suspected.