Search dog found man

Missing hiker (71) had to sleep in the forest

The search with the police helicopter was unsuccessful.

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

The search dog "Oskar" must have earned a particularly big bone on Saturday evening. In the evening, the four-legged friend found a hiker in a steep wooded area above Dornbirn who had been reported missing by a neighbor. The 71-year-old was rescued and taken to hospital. 

The 71-year-old from Dornbirn had already set off on a hike on Friday afternoon. When his neighbor was unable to reach him on Saturday, he went to the senior's apartment. However, he only found his cell phone there.

As the 71-year-old suffers from diabetes and had not taken the cell phone with him, the neighbor feared the worst. He informed the police and filed a missing person's report. The emergency services then launched a search operation. The police helicopter was also deployed, but the senior was not visible in the wooded area due to the dense trees.

Rescued from steep terrain
In a second attempt, this time with the help of a service dog, the rescue workers were successful. Service dog "Oskar" found the missing man behind a tree off the hiking trail. The 71-year-old had fallen into steeply sloping terrain on Friday and was unable to return to the hiking trail without help.

Although the senior citizen had spent the night in the forest from Friday to Saturday, he was in good health. He was rescued from his predicament by the search team and taken to Dornbirn City Hospital as a precaution.