Jack Russell survived off chipmunks and insects while guarding his dead owner's body

A loyal dog stayed by her dead owner's side for nearly three months on a hiking trail - and the starving pup weighed just 6lb after surviving on insects and chipmunks, and fending for herself in the Colorado mountains.

Rich Moore, 71, and his black and white Jack Russell, Finney, disappeared on a hike on August 19 in Blackhead Peak, located in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado.

The arduous search for Rich and his dog was the 'most comprehensive' in the Sherriff's team's history - and despite having other K9s searching for Finney and handlers calling out his name in the mountains, it did not lead to a sighting.

The missing man's body was then discovered by a local hunter on October 30 in the Lower Blanco drainage basin - and by a miracle, little Finney was still by his side.

Rescuers who had come to collect Moore's body were able to coax loyal Finney away from his remains with a can of dog food - after loyally sticking by for three months.

The gaunt dog was still wearing her purple collar with 'Finney' written on the tag, but the personnel said that she was so skinny it was drooping off of her neck.

Finney, who had most likely had to fend off other wildlife during the fraught 72 days and nights alone in the mountains, had long scars on her nose.

It was only when the team offered starving Finney a can of wet beef dog food that she came close, and was able to be captured in a blanket by Roy Vega, Archuleta County's Deputy Director of Emergency Management.

The pup was starving to the point that she gripped on to the can of food with her teeth, refusing to let go and savoring every bite, because she had most likely been surviving on insects and chipmunks for the past three months.

And the only source of water for Finney to drink from was a nearby spring.

As a result, Finney's body weight had halfed - and she weighed just six pounds.

The search for the hiker was called off on September 22, after 2,100 hours. Teams had used nine dogs and five choppers, as well as 175 flight and ground crews to find him.