K-9 finds missing 85-year-old 'clinging to a tree' in Colorado

K-9 Mercury is being hailed as a hero after he helped authorities find a woman who had been missing for hours in Colorado last week.

DENVER (KDVR) — A K-9 has been credited with helping Colorado police find a missing 85-year-old woman last week.

According to officials in Greenwood Village, located just outside of Denver, K-9 Mercury has been with their police department for just over a year. He is trained in narcotics detection, as well as searching for people.

On Thursday, Mercury and Officer Austin Speer were called in to help search for an 85-year-old woman who had been missing for two hours.

Mercury was able to lead Speer to the woman, who authorities said was "clinging to a tree down a steep ravine."

In a video shared by the village on Facebook, Mercury can be seen tracking down the woman and receiving plenty of praise upon finding her.

"Hi, ma'am! This is a friendly dog, he found you. We're going to get you home, OK?" Speer can be heard saying in the video.

According to authorities, the woman was in a spot where she could not be seen from the roadway or canal. She was able to safely return home after being found.

In a comment on the village's Facebook page, a man claiming to be the woman's son explained that his mother had become "'gassed out' after trying to climb" the hill.

"I had been searching for her for two hours and Mercury and Officer Speer found her in 10 minutes: UNBELIEVABLE!" he wrote.