LouLou’s AirTag helped rescuers find her after an Alaska avalanche

LouLou’s two hiking companions were taken to a hospital on October 10, 2026. Getting the husky-poodle mix off the Alaska mountain took another two days, a volunteer search and a helicopter flight.

An avalanche near Eklutna Lake in Chugach State Park had separated LouLou from the two men, including Brian, the partner of her owner, Lauren Padawer. The dog was found on October 12, after about 50 hours missing.

Footage of LouLou’s rescue, shared by ABC News. Credit: Amanda Barker via Storyful.

Padawer was abroad for her father’s 80th birthday. She learned of the avalanche through Facebook, recognized the area where Brian had gone hiking and began looking for people who could help search for LouLou.

Her appeals reached local pet rescue groups and outdoor communities. Hikers, helicopter crews and a scent dog joined the effort. Local help was also central to the search for Luna in Yellowstone.

Weather interrupted the search. Some volunteers made it toward the ridge near Pepper Peak before conditions forced them back.

A signal narrowed the search

LouLou’s AirTag began supplying clues during aerial searches, with updates appearing in roughly the same area. Padawer could use those reports to help work out where rescuers should look.

An AirTag broadcasts a Bluetooth signal. A nearby device participating in Apple’s Find My network can detect it and relay location information, allowing the owner to see the tag on a map. The owner can be far away; a device close to the tag provides the connection. In remote terrain, an update depends on a participating device passing within range.

From abroad, Padawer compared Apple’s terrain imagery with another mapping app. That let her help interpret the location clues for Amanda Barker and Dave Beckett, the pilots who ultimately reached LouLou.

Barker and Beckett spotted LouLou from the air and landed nearby, then climbed through the snow to reach her. With a leash secured, the pair could guide her back to the aircraft and fly her out.

A photograph sent to Padawer showed LouLou on her feet, watching the helicopter. Recalling that moment in an interview with Alaska’s News Source, she said, “I just burst into tears.”

Lauren Padawer shares her account of the search for LouLou and the community effort that brought her home.

As with Luna’s recovery after 34 days in Yellowstone, LouLou’s rescue was followed by a veterinary check. Padawer reported a damaged canine tooth and an injured toe.

“She’s enjoying the couch and naps,” Padawer told PEOPLE.