Anand L

Lulu, a 4-year-old white huskydoodle, was found alive after more than 50 hours alone in the snow following an October 10, 2026, avalanche in Alaska’s Chugach State Park near Anchorage. She was hiking with her owner Brian Shum and his climbing partner Rachad Rayess. Snow was only about 5 inches deep where they were, but a wind-loaded pocket above them released and swept the two men roughly 500 feet down rocky terrain. Both survived with serious injuries (Brian: broken jaw and degloved hand requiring later surgery; Rachad: three broken ribs and a fractured vertebra). An Alaska National Guard helicopter rescued the men within about two hours, but they did not see the dog. Lauren Padawer, Brian's partner, was overseas celebrating her father’s 80th birthday when she learned of the incident. She immediately organized a remote search effort via Facebook and other contacts, reaching out to pet rescue groups, hiking/avalanche/mountaineering communities, and more. Dozens of volunteers responded, including ground searchers, a scent-detection dog (using pieces of Lulu's bed), a thermal-imaging drone, and helicopter teams. Lulu’s Apple AirTag on her collar provided location pings that helped narrow the search area. After about 50 hours, commercial pilots Amanda Barker and Dave Beckett got another ping, spotted paw prints in fresh snow, and saw LuLu sitting upright and watching them. They landed, hiked roughly 20 minutes (a couple hundred feet) up through deep snow to her. She was taken to a vet and then reunited with her owner on October 14. LuLu had a broken toenail and a chipped canine tooth but was otherwise healthy and recovering well. Her owners described her as mellow at home yet “born for the trail” and skilled at following paths back—traits that apparently helped her. Tracking data suggested she may have followed the men’s slide path and then returned to wait near the start. A happy ending for this resilient pup and her family! 🐶❤️