A huskydoodle named LouLou has been found alive after spending more than 50 hours alone in the Alaskan wilderness following an avalanche that seriously injured her owner and his hiking partner.
LouLou was hiking near Pepper Peak in Chugach State Park, close to Eklutna Lake, on 10 October when the avalanche swept the two men about 500ft down a mountain ridge. Both were rescued and taken to hospital, but the dog disappeared in the snow.
Lauren Padawar, LouLou’s other owner, was out of the country when she learned what had happened. She used social media to organise a search involving dozens of volunteers, including hikers, helicopter crews, drone operators and a scent-detection dog.
LouLou found after Alaska avalanche
The dog was wearing an Apple AirTag, which gave rescuers a rough indication of her whereabouts. However, the initial location was almost half a mile away from where LouLou was eventually found, making the search difficult in the steep and remote terrain.
Bad weather also forced some searchers to turn back. After more than two days, helicopter pilots Amanda Barker and Dave Beckett narrowed down the area and spotted LouLou standing on a snowy mountainside.
The helicopter landed about 20 minutes away, and the rescuers made their way to her on foot. LouLou was alert and barked when they called her name before being flown to safety.
Padawar said she received a photograph of the dog standing upright and watching the helicopter. “I just burst into tears,” she told Alaska’s News Source.
A veterinary examination found that LouLou had lost a canine tooth and broken a toe, but was otherwise in good health after her ordeal.
Padawar said she was deeply grateful to those who helped bring the dog home, praising their “kindness, competence, and generosity”. She also joked that LouLou may have viewed her time alone in the mountains as “an excellent vacation”.
