our thighs. reporter:? in the distance, spotted a black dot, and then muflt. the moment you saw russ lift his head, what goes through your mind? joy, absolute joy, i think most of us thought this would be a recovery not a rescue. reporter: with careful coaxing, the pair got russ into their arms and sled him to safety. we were going to get him no matter what. reporter: but who did he belong to? thanks to a micro chip, officers connected russ to ricardo several hundred miles away. i thought it was a work call, i answered it all intense, how can i help you, they re like we found your dog, in the middle of the snow. reporter: in utter disbelief until he saw himself, his dog miraculously survived. this guy s something else here, he s been through it all.