Rescue services announced the discovery of the 33-year-old hiker on Facebook, as two technicians of the Udine Alpine Rescue were out searching for him via helicopter. His girlfriend had alerted them of his failure to appear last Monday; he regularly made this hiking trip every year, so his disappearance was cause for concern.
The hiker had fallen and broken his ankle while traveling through the Venzonassa Valley, one of the areas on the trip without any mobile phone service. After falling down, he dragged himself to a stream for some water, but was unable to travel very fair unaided.
While it is unclear exactly what Ash had done for him, the dog never left his side, even as the journey was perilous and slow, and presumably helped keep him warm. When he was finally found, his body was covered in leaves and he seemed to be conscious, but he was very thirsty and hungry. He credited his dog with his survival while the rescue team treated him, and they soon were able to carefully raise him and his dog into a helicopter.
The hiker is currently recovering at a local hospital while the rescue team looks after Ash in his absence.
