An elderly woman with dementia who went missing in Florida was found by a tracking dog within minutes after she bottled her own scent almost three years ago in case something like this ever happened.

The woman, who has not been identified, was reported missing from her home in Sugarmill Woods, north of Tampa, on Tuesday.

Citrus County Sheriff's Office deputy Justin Williams found a scent-preservation kit in the woman's home.

The elderly woman with dementia was reported missing from her home in Sugarmill Woods, Florida on Tuesday. Police tracked her down after finding a scent-preservation kit in her home, which she had bottled on January 19, 2015

It had been bottled on January 19, 2015.

Authorities immediately started searching for the woman by using her scent and the help of sniffer dog K9 Ally.

The woman, who had been missing for two hours, was found five minutes later by the dog.

'K9 Ally and her handler, Deputy Justin Williams successfully tracked a missing endangered elderly woman with dementia,' the sheriff's department said in a Facebook post.

Citrus County Sheriff's Office deputy Justin Williams found the scent kit in the woman's home. Sniffer dog K9 Ally was able to track the woman within five minutes of smelling her scent

K9 Ally was rewarded with a vanilla ice cream cone (above) after locating the woman within minutes on Tuesday

'The woman was returned home safely and K9 Ally was rewarded with a special treat, a tasty vanilla ice cream cone!'

The department said the demand for scent-preservation kits has sky-rocketed since news broke that the woman had been found.

The kits generally include a jar, a gauze pad and tamper-proof tape. People are instructed to swipe the gauze under their arms and bottle it.

It can hold a person's scent for up to seven years.