Loyal dog Buddy found guarding the body of his elderly owner from coyotes after the 81-year-old died on cross-country ski trip



Retired veterinarian Robert Blake died of natural causes while skiing



Rescue team found retriever protecting Mr Blake's body the following day

A golden retriever kept guard over the body of its elderly owner after the 81-year-old died while skiing in Colorado.



Robert Blake had been reported missing on Friday afternoon, after failing to return from a cross-country ski trip.



When mountain rescue teams found his body under some trees the following day, Buddy the dog was standing guard to keep coyotes away.



Loyal: Buddy the retriever stayed with Robert Blake, right, after the retired veterinarian died while skiing on Friday

Relief: Marlene Blake says knowing that Buddy would stay by her husband's side gave her some comfort as she waited for Robert to be found

The loyal dog was found in a 'protective stance' next to Mr Blake's body, and it appeared he had stayed at his owner's side for nearly 24 hours.



It is thought that Mr Blake, a retired veterinarian from New Mexico, had died of natural causes when he stopped for lunch while skiing near the Delores County line.



'There are a large number of coyotes in the area and Buddy refused to leave Mr Blake’s body until we spent some time coaxing him to trust us, Sheriff Bill Masters told KRQE.



A GPS tracker the experienced skier used helped the rescue team find him after his worried wife, Marlene Blake reported him missing.



When her husband failed to check in with her on Friday, Mrs Blake feared that he may have died.

But she said knowing Buddy would be protecting him helped ease her mind during the rescue.



Companion: Robert often took his four-year-old retriever with him on skiing trips

'I knew Buddy was with him, and would not leave him, I knew that, you know just from my heart,' she said.

After keeping a vigil over Mr Blake, the four-year-old dog is now providing companionship for the skier's grieving widow, who said she couldn't 'make it without him'.

The family have thanked the mountain rescue team who searched for Mr Blake, including the four-man crew of a helicopter that crashed during the mission.



The helicopter, which was carrying a sheriff's deputy and three Classic Lifeguard members, had a sudden loss of power at 10,000ft.

