It was an emotional moment for rescuers and a family after a lost dog named “Puppy” was discovered 40 hours later. It was also owing to Tino, a Search and Rescue dog on his first trip.

Puppy, a 150-pound Great Pyrenees, went missing while horseback riding with his owner Karen James in McCleary, Washington. After two days of anxious searching, his owners sought assistance from Three Retrievers Lost Pet Rescue.

Tino, a Search and Rescue dog, was assigned to the non-profit rescue in order to locate Puppy.

Tino quickly followed Puppy down, only to find him submerged in a muddy gully less than a mile from his house. Only his head poked through the muck.

It took three rescuers to securely take Puppy out. Three Retrievers Lost Pet Rescue said on Facebook, “Tino did a terrific job today, discovering this old dog stranded in the muck.”

“At first, his back feet didn’t operate, possibly because he’d been stuck in the chilly muck for hours.” The forests stretch for miles, and Puppy’s family might not have located him without the assistance of a search dog.”

Puppy was placed in a wagon and taken home, where his family was pleased to see him.

“He couldn’t get out of the muck,” James said to Fox 13. “We wouldn’t have spotted him since he was off the route far enough.”

“And you know there’s miles and miles, acres and acres of wilderness out there to search,” she continued. We would never have discovered him.”

Tino had been trained for 16 months, according to Three Retrievers Lost Pet Rescue, and this was Tino’s first “Walk up find” of his career. We’d call it a huge success!