- A 71-year-old man and his dog went missing on a hike up a Colorado mountain months ago.
- The hiker was found dead and his dog, Finney, was miraculously found alive next to the man's body.
- Finney, a Jack Russell Terrier, has since been reunited with its family, officials said.
It's just more proof that dogs really are man's best friend.
A truly loyal Jack Russell Terrier named Finney apparently stayed by her owner's side after the duo set out to hike a Colorado mountain months ago — even after he died.
Hiker Rich Moore, 71, of Pagosa Springs was discovered dead late last month — and Finney was found alive near Moore's body, according to authorities and a rescue group.
Moore and his dog had been missing since August 19 after they started a journey to summit Blackhead Peak, located in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, the volunteer Taos Search and Rescue group said.
Search teams and personnel looked for Moore and Finney for nearly 2,000 hours, but they weren't found until a local hunter came across Moore's body and the white dog on Oct. 30, according to the Archuleta County Sheriff's Office.
The next day search crews were flown into the area. They recovered Moore's body and discovered Finney alive, the sheriff's office said. Finney was then taken to a local veterinarian hospital to be treated.
She's since been reunited with her family, according to the sheriff's office.
Taos Search and Rescue group member Delinda Vanne-Brightyn responded to the initial search for Moore, along with her certified K9 AkioYodasan.
Vanne-Brightyn and the search group expressed their condolences to Moore's family, but said they were "glad they were able to gain some closure as well as bring their dog back home."
"It just brings us all to tears the loyalty of that dog," Vanne-Brightyn told CNN in an interview. She thinks Finney likely survived by drinking water from nearby streams and by eating small animals.
Moore's cause of death was not immediately known, but the sheriff's office said that foul play is not suspected.