(CNN) Washington state deputies may never have found a missing hiker if it wasn't for his loyal dog.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department set out to find a 64-year-old man at daybreak Thursday after his wife called and reported that her husband, his car and their dog, Daisy, were missing from their home in the Eatonville area, authorities said.

The man had gone hiking Wednesday, but did not return by nightfall, The News Tribune in Tacoma reported.

"The missing man reportedly often went hiking with his dog, but did not leave a note where he was going and had failed to return home after dark," the sheriff's department said. "The man's wife reported finding recent internet searches by her husband for geocaching in the Evans Creek area."

All day yesterday our deputies & Search & Rescue Teams were out searching for a missing hiker near Eatonville. While this story has a sad ending, the love & loyalty of the missing man's dog Daisy will amaze you. We never would have found him w/o her help: https://t.co/OuORgqx0dw pic.twitter.com/9GMkhd7444 — Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) April 26, 2019

Authorities searched the area, but had no luck.

Read More