Groot, his handler Rich Cassens and high school senior Quincy Webster are credited with saving the lives of Carol Kiparsky and her husband Ian Irwin, who vanished during a romantic Valentine's Day hike.
A beloved golden retriever is being hailed a hero for saving the lives of an elderly California couple who were found after spending eight days lost in the wilderness.
Groot, his handler Rich Cassens and high school senior Quincy Webster are credited with saving the lives of Carol Kiparsky and her husband Ian Irwin, who vanished during a romantic Valentine's Day hike.
Dozens of volunteers scoured the thick woods in Marin County, outside San Francisco.
Hopes for the couple's safe return were fading, when Webster and Cassens heard their cries for help while searching over the weekend. Groot led them to the pair, who were huddled in dense overgrowth.
Webster said the couple didn't believe they were real and thought they would die in the woods. The teenager gave them jackets, hats and gloves to stay warm while they waited for rescuers.
Kiparsky and Irwin were airlifted out by helicopter and taken to a hospital to be treated for hypothermia.
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