Christmas Miracle: New York Dog Finds Sick, Missing Hudson Valley Man

A Hudson Valley family got to enjoy Christmas thanks to the help of a dog who found a missing elderly man with Parkinson’s and early stages of dementia.

The City of Peekskill Police Department announced Officer Jon Saintiche and his K9 partner, Bones, found a missing elderly Peekskill resident.

Peekskill Police K9 Helps Find Missing Elderly New York Man

On Christmas Eve around 1:45 a.m., the Peekskill Police Department received a 911 call from a son who reported his 75-year-old father was missing from his Peekskill home.

The son told police his father has Parkinson’s Disease and possible early stages of dementia. he believed last saw his father a few hours ago and believed his father wandered away from the home, under-dressed, in the freezing cold.

The son last saw his father a few hours earlier wearing slippers, jeans and a sweatshirt, clothing inadequate for the current temperatures of 5 degrees, police say.

All Available Officers Search For Missing Westchester County, New York Man

"With this information and the dangerously cold temperatures, responding officers had to react quickly. All available Peekskill officers responded to the location the missing was last seen and began a canvass of surrounding areas. A request for assistance from New York State Police and Westchester County Department of Public Safety was also sent, with both agencies providing multiple assets including K9s and aviation units," the City of Peekskill Police Department stated in a press release.

Around 45 minutes into the search, Officer Jon Saintiche and his K9 partner Bones began a new track near a dead-end portion of Winchester Avenue.

Soon K9 Bones began to pick up his pace and ran towards a wooded area indicating he may have found the scent he was tracking, police say.

Missing Elderly Peekskill, New York Man Found

Officer Saintiche and Bones ran approximately 50 yards into the woods and found the missing man, police say.

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The man fell. He was found lying on top of some fallen leaves. He was cold to the touch and unable to move, but was still alive and conscious, officials say.

After confirming the man was alive, several Peekskill officers ran into the woods to carry the missing subject out and placed him inside a nearby patrol car,

Inside the car, the man was given blankets, hats, heat and was then transported via ambulance to a local hospital for treatment.

On Dec. 26, the family told police the unnamed missing man will make a full recovery.