New Delhi: When an avalanche sent two mountaineers tumbling hundreds of feet down an Alaskan mountainside, their four-legged companion, LouLou, vanished into the snowy wilderness. What followed was an anxious, nearly 50-hour search involving volunteers, pilots and a worried owner coordinating the rescue from thousands of miles away. Against the odds, the four-year-old poodle-husky mix was eventually found alive.

The incident took place on October 10 in Chugach State Park, Alaska, where LouLou was accompanying two experienced climbers. The avalanche swept the men approximately 500 feet down a mountain ridge, leaving both seriously injured. While they survived and were taken to hospital, LouLou disappeared, triggering a desperate search to bring her home.

Lauren Padawer, whose boyfriend Brian was one of the injured climbers, was overseas celebrating her father's 80th birthday when she learnt about the accident. Brian had suffered a broken jaw and a severe hand injury, while his climbing partner sustained three broken ribs and a fractured vertebra. Unable to join the search in person, Padawer reached out to local rescue organisations, hiking groups and dozens of individuals. More than 20 volunteers eventually joined the effort, including a scent-detection dog.

Padawer wanted to exhaust every available resource and ensure she did everything possible to bring the dog home. LouLou was wearing an Apple AirTag, but its initial estimated location was nearly half a mile away from where she was eventually found. The rugged terrain and rapidly changing weather made the search particularly challenging.

The breakthrough came when pilots Amanda Barker and Dave Beckett detected another AirTag signal during an aerial search. Padawer, meanwhile, compared satellite images with maps remotely to help narrow down LouLou's possible location.

After approximately 50 hours alone in the wilderness, LouLou was finally found alive on the mountainside and brought to safety. Padawer expressed complete shock and disbelief upon seeing a photograph of LouLou after the rescue, adding that it felt too good to be true and brought her to tears.

LouLou appeared to have suffered a broken toe and a broken canine tooth but was otherwise recovering well at home. After nearly two days in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness, the little dog was finally back where she belonged.