Dog leads searchers to his lost owner in Sierra foothills — then disappears

A dog was credited with leading searchers to his owner a woman missing in the Sierra Nevada foothills but he disappeared after her rescue Related Articles Father of missing California baby goes with investigators on search for infant s remains Northern California man arrested months after his wife went missing Child abuse probe is related to missing California boy s scenario Father of missing California baby assists investigators in search for infant s remains I will not give up on my baby says California mother jailed on suspicion of murder after baby goes missing Poncho a Chihuahua mix had been with the woman when she apparently walked away from a senior residence in Sonora over the weekend the Tuolumne County sheriff s office stated The -year-old woman who has dementia was seen by staff there around p m Saturday Aug and possibly the following morning around or Employees became concerned by her absence later that morning and published her missing prompting a search that extended into the night Around p m as search organizers were preparing to suspend operations until the next day residents broadcasted seeing a dog who matched Poncho s description on a road that winds through chaparral on the flanks of Bald Mountain The searchers went about feet down a steep hillside where the dog had last been seen They identified Poncho and a short distance away his owner asleep on the ground A litter and rope system were used to bring her up to the roadway where an ambulance was waiting A Bald Mountain Road resident who watched the rescue informed the news site MyMotherLode com that the dog ran out of the ravine to join his owner at the ambulance The sheriff s office however disclosed Poncho ran off before he could be safely secured and he remained missing as of Monday The sheriff s account disclosed the missing woman was alert and communicating with urgency responders before being taken for curative assessment Bald Mountain Road neighbors were keeping an eye out for the dog