A three-year-old police dog helped rescue a missing 70-year-old man in Hawaii after he was reported missing while hiking in a national park. The dog, named Trina, located David Arai more than seven hours after the search began, allowing police officers to bring him safely back to the start of the trail, reported PEOPLE.

Hawaii Island police officers received information just after noon on October 19 that Arai had last been seen near a volcano at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park more than 24 hours earlier.

According to KHON2, Arai frequently hiked in the area. His son, Kaohe, said that his father often hiked alone and knew the trails well.

Police classified Arai as endangered based on information gathered during the investigation, including his age, and began searching the area.

Officers found Arai’s rental vehicle inside the national park but could not locate him. Authorities then launched an aerial search with a Hawaii Fire Department helicopter before asking Trina, a police dog, to help.

Trina is a three-year-old Labrador retriever trained to track and find living people. She had previously helped search for missing children and adults in danger across Hawaii.

Accompanied by her handler, Officer Christopher Ross, Trina carefully searched the national park.

Just over seven hours after Arai was reported missing, Trina found him about two miles from his rental vehicle. He was lying on his back in bushes slightly away from the trail.

Ross told KHON2 that the conditions along the trail were difficult. He said that when Trina reached Arai, she licked his hand, helping him understand that the search team had found him and that he was safe.

Police officers then safely brought Arai back to the start of the trail.

After the rescue, Arai was taken to Hilo Benioff Medical Centre. He was monitored and treated for dehydration and exposure.

His son, Kaohe, said his father was extremely grateful to the police department and the park rangers who helped with the search, especially Trina and the K9 unit.

Kaohe also said that his father had fallen in love with Trina and would be open to adopting her if she retired and needed a home.

Ross praised Trina for her role in finding Arai. He described having her as a partner as a blessing and said he believed they had an angel in their care.

Trina’s efforts helped bring the missing hiker back safely to his family after an extensive search in the national park.