A hero puppy came to her rescue.
An 84-year-old woman who had been missing in Texas for two days was discovered unconscious and guarded by her new dog.
Pearl Radcliffe went missing last week, causing panic among friends and family.
Dawne Griffith, her nephew, spent two days searching the area surrounding her home and the surrounding bayou.
As volunteer search teams from Texas EquuSearch gathered at her house on Friday afternoon, Griffith received a call from Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital in Houston: Radcliffe was safe and checked into their facility, according to KHOU.
The elderly woman was found unconscious on the sidewalk, but she wasn’t alone.
Radcliffe’s dog, Maximus, was waiting by her side. She had just gotten him nine days before. Authorities think he stood next to his new owner while she was lying on the sidewalk.
The woman from Texas was kept in the hospital for a few days so that she could be watched. Griffith told KHOU that his aunt is getting better, but she doesn’t remember much about what happened. She hasn’t been able to remember things lately.
Adults suffering from dementia are more likely to go missing because they may become confused and lose track of where they are, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Griffith was “very relieved” to hear that his aunt was safe and had been protected by her new pet.
Maximus had been taken in by animal control, but the family planned to pick up the puppy right away. “They’ll never let him go,” reporter Janelle Bludau said after talking with the family.
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