A happy ending to the search for a 73-year-old man who spent a frigid night in the outdoors near Wier’s Pond off the Gander Bay Road.

Gander RCMP were called on Wednesday evening after the man and his dog went missing while out for a walk in the cabin area.

The Bonavista Bay and Exploits Search and Rescue teams were called out and conducted a search that lasted through the night with the help of an RCMP dog and its handler.

A drone was also brought in by members of RCMP Traffic Service, and members of the 103 Search and Rescue Squadron and Universal Helicopters were involved in an aerial search .

A second police dog team joined the search the following morning.

The man and his dog were found safe and sound, walking out of the woods at about 11:00 Thursday morning, several kilometers away from his cabin.

Despite being cold and dehydrated, both the man and his dog were in good spirits and the senior was taken to hospital for assessment.

The man’s relieved family says they’re grateful that the dog remained a loyal partner to the man through the ordeal.