A barking dog saved the life of his owner, who has dementia, after she went missing in the Utah heat last month. According to a July 11 update from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the Emery County sheriff’s office was notified that a woman with dementia had disappeared after taking her dog for a walk on the mountainside and hadn’t returned for more than a day.

An officer and his police dog, Kip, who is “trained and certified to track humans,” began searching the area “shortly after dark.” While nighttime temperatures were a chilly 55 degrees, daytime temperatures in the mountains reached nearly 100 degrees, making the search even more urgent.

The officer and Kip were searching nearby cabins when they heard a dog barking around 3:30 a.m. They redirected their search toward the barking but couldn’t find the woman that night. The next day, a neighbor reported hearing the barking in an area without homes.

Using local security camera footage, the officer saw the woman walking west with her dog. The officer, Kip, and the neighbor searched in that direction. They soon heard the barking again, which led them to the missing woman.

The woman was found in good condition but extremely dehydrated and without shoes. She was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

“Her dog saved her life by barking to alert our officer and K-9 Kip,” the wildlife resources division said. “We’re so glad she was found safe.”