Deputies and a K-9 unit from the Weld County Sheriff’s Office likely saved the life of a man reportedly attempting to walk from Fort Collins to Cheyenne, Wyoming in extreme winter weather conditions on February 12.

At 9:40 PM, deputies responded to a report of a man who had knocked on a Weld County door and asked for water before running off into the storm. The man was described as wearing just a hoodie, jeans, and tennis shoes in 17 degree weather that reportedly felt much colder.

Deputies were able to locate shoe prints in the snow near the home of the caller, giving them a direction to conduct their search.

A perimeter was set-up and a K-9 unit named Ringo started tracking the missing man. A thermal imaging camera and night vision goggles were also utilized.

After a mile and a half of tracking the man, he was found in fetal position on the ground, unable to walk. The deputies carried the man to a patrol vehicle and transported him to medical personnel that were en route.

The man was suffering from a low core body temperature and his shoes were frozen to his feet. According to medical personnel, the man was succumbing to the cold and was unlikely to have survived had he not been found. He has since fully recovered.

The man told responders that he was attempting to walk along US 287, but got lost. The home the report of the man came from is near County Road 86 and County Road 13, an intersection that is approximately 7 miles east of Highway 287. The drive from Fort Collins to Cheyenne is approximately 45 miles, though highway 87 links the two cities, not highway 287. The home that reported the knocking man is approximately 3 miles from this road.

Thanks goes out to deputies involved, including Sean Wagner, Elijah Howard, Thomas Lamb, Ben Rexroad, and Andrew Annan. Ringo also deserves a bonus treat and a nice head scratch for his role in this life-saving operation.

According to the news release on this incident, two Weld County deputies – Daniel Trujillo and Donovan Pecorella – were successful in tracking an 11-year-old boy that had ran away from home the day before.