LouLou the huskydoodle was found alive after more than 50 hours in Alaska avalanche country, a rescue driven by AirTag pings, volunteers, and military pararescue.
Searchers reached the 4-year-old dog standing in deep snow near Eklutna Lake after an avalanche in Chugach State Park separated her from her owner during a hike.
FOX Weather reported that owner Brian and his hiking partner were hurt in the slide, pulled out, and taken to a hospital without the dog. LouLou stayed missing for two days while ground teams came up empty.
Brian’s partner, Lauren Padawer, was out of town when the avalanche hit. She organized a search anyway and kept pressure on until a signal finally broke the stalemate.
The break came from an AirTag ping. Amanda Barker and Dave Beckett flew in by helicopter, landed as close as they could, and spent about 20 minutes climbing through several feet of Alaska snow on their hands to reach the spot.
When they got there, LouLou was on her feet. She barked as the pair closed in. Barker called to her in the video later shared from the recovery.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Barker said. “Let’s go for a ride, LouLou.”
"Come on, sweetheart," "Let's go for a ride, LouLou."
The dog hesitated at first, then took the leash. The team slid back down to the aircraft with her and gave her pets on the flight out. After more than 50 hours alone in the snow, she was alive and heading home.
The New York Post reported the same core timeline: separation in Chugach State Park near Eklutna Lake in Anchorage, injuries to Brian and his hiking partner, Padawer’s remote push to build a search team, and the AirTag-guided helicopter extraction by Barker and Beckett.
Padawer posted her thanks on Facebook after the recovery. She named the people who showed up when the dog was still missing and the humans were already in hospital care.
"To Dave, Amanda, Kathy, Barney, James, the ground search parties, the military pararescue personnel, and everyone who offered a hand: thank you," "I will never forget what you did for LouLou, for Brian, his hiking partner, and for me. Sometimes it takes a mountain to remind you how extraordinary people can be."
Breitbart reported the avalanche struck on October 10 and that LouLou suffered a broken toe and a broken canine tooth but was recovering. Padawer described the moment the good news landed.
"It was too good to be true. I cried."
Breitbart also carried a description of the dog’s trail habits: a mellow companion at home who was built for Alaska backcountry and skilled at following a path back. That track record met a hard test in the slide and the long wait that followed.
No agency press conference drove this story. Ground search parties, named civilians, and military pararescue personnel did. A consumer tracker gave them a point on the map. Two people left a helicopter and crawled through snow until a living dog barked back.
Brian’s full name, the hiking partner’s identity, the hospital, and detailed medical updates were not released in the accounts above. Absolute clock times for the slide and the pickup were not either. What was clear was the result: the dog survived more than 50 hours in avalanche country and came out on a leash.
When the mountain turns violent, the people who lace up and go back out still make the difference. LouLou got home because they did.
