POOCH & RESCUE

Pup found guarding dead hiker owner

A Colorado hiker who went missing in August was found dead last month on a rugged peak in the Rocky Mountains, but his Jack Russell terrier miraculously survived — and stayed perched next to his owner’s body for months.

Rich Moore, 71, of Pagosa Spring, Colo., was hiking up the 12,500-foot mountain on Aug. 19, but never returned home, Fox News reported.

Search-and-rescue crews dropped in by helicopter and combed forests below the peak before moving toward the trailhead, where they found Moore’s car.

But they couldn’t find the man himself — although though they spent more than 2,000 hours searching for him.

Then, on Oct. 30, a hunter stumbled across Moore’s corpse more than two miles east of the summit — along with his Jack Russell terrier, Finney.

Somehow, Finney had survived for more than two months in the wilderness — and didn’t leave his owner’s side.

Colorado’s #1 good boy

Dozens took to social media to express their condolences to Moore’s family and laud Finney.

“So sad, and yet so beautiful that the Jack Russell stayed with him for all these weeks . . . Sometimes tragedies remind us of the bond between man and his best friend,” one person wrote on Facebook.

“So sorry this man died but I am glad that his dog was there by his side all the time. And I am glad that the dog did survive. Humans do not deserve dogs. This loyal companion stayed with his best friend until they took him and his best friend away,” wrote another.

Many pointed out how shocking it was that the Jack Russell survived — likely relying on hunting instincts to capture small prey — to stay by Moore’s side.

“There is no love like the unconditional love of dogs. Such faithfulness,” one person said.

According to Chaffee County Search and Rescue North, Moore was unprepared when he made it to the summit of a 13,000-foot peak in the area of Cottonwood Lake, near Buena Vista.

Moore was wearing only a cotton hooded sweatshirt, with no water or food left.

Investigators haven’t figured out how the man died, but they do not suspect any foul play, People magazine reported.

Moore’s remains were recovered from the mountain on Oct. 31.

The terrain where Moore was found was so steep that rescuers — including a certified K9 — were transported o the mountaintop by helicopter.

Finney was brought to a veterinarian and then reunited with his family.

Moore’s family, for their part, was “glad they were able to gain some closure, as well as bring their dog back home,” the Taos Search and Rescue team said on Facebook.