Sherry Noppe’s children spent three days not knowing where their mother, who was recently diagnosed with dementia, was.
She took her black Labrador Max for a walk on a Tuesday on the trail behind her Katy, Texas home and never returned.
Thankfully, she was kept safe by her dog and rescued from the woods of George Bush Park.
“He [Max] saved her life,” Noppe’s daughter Courtney Noppe said during a press conference.
“He’s our hero,” Noppe’s son Justin Noppe said.
Noppe was found on Friday at 3 a.m. after the search party, made up of emergency service professionals and volunteers, heard Max barking in the 7,800-acre park.
Hundreds of volunteers joined the search efforts over three days.
Noppe and Max were found not that far from where Noppe was last seen walking Max, about 50 to 100 yards off of a trail. The woods are reported to be very thick making it easy for someone to get lost.
“You can walk 50 feet in there and get turned around,” family friend Michael England told KHOU. “She knew she was lost, but I was amazed at how strong she was. he wasn’t severely disoriented and out of it but definitely lost. She didn’t know what to do.”
“It’s a small miracle that she’s alive after being missing for so long,” said Constable Ted Heap. “Our concern now is getting her out of the woods and to a hospital for a medical evaluation. Thank you to @TexasEquuSearch along with the army of searchers who never gave up.”
— Harris County Pct 5 (@HCpct5) May 6, 2022
Her trusty dog Max stayed by her side for three days, even though he was unleashed.
“It’s a small miracle that she’s alive after being missing for so long,” Constable Ted Heap tweeted at the time of her rescue. “Our concern now is getting her out of the woods and to a hospital for a medical evaluation. Thank you to Texas Equusearch and the army of searchers who never gave up.”
Noppe’s family reported that Max is typically a quiet dog but they believed he started to bark and growl because the search party was coming closer and he wanted to protect his mom.
“Max is just amazing. I mean, we are so proud of him. He is so loyal. He’s stuck by her side the entire time,” Noppe’s other daughter Jessica said.
Noppe was treated for dehydration and only sustained some cuts and bruises.
She was taken to the hospital and released later that day.
“She is surprisingly doing well considering how long she was out there and the elements she was in. But she’s in good spirits, and she’s doing well,” Courtney Noppe said.
The Noppe family expressed their immense gratitude to those who helped bring their mom home safely.
“We really just want to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts. This community came together at the drop of a hat for us, and we felt the love and all the support. And we really just want to thank everyone. It’s been a blessing to us to bring our mother home on Mother’s Day. This weekend is going to be very special for us,” Justin said.
Max was also given the hero treatment with some new toys and the promise of a steak for keeping Noppe safe.
Hear more about the rescue in the video below!
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