Police had said they were very growing concerned for the welfare of Margaret Haverson, 79, from Newton St Cyres.

The Dartmoor Rescue Group (DRG) started a search on Saturday morning and search dog Max found her two hours later.

She was found in a wooded area close to the village and has now been taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital for assessment. TO READ FULL ARTICLE CLICK READ MORE IN LOWER CORNER

"She was alive, talkative and surprisingly well," said Paul Vachon of the DRG.

"Temperatures were so low last night - for someone of that age to survive, that is extraordinary."

Max is an air scent search dog trained to pick up human scent anywhere in the vicinity rather than following a trail.

Just had a great find with my dog Max. CREDIT for article BBC NEWS

79 year old woman reported missing from home Thursday evening.
Friday, Police search teams and Helicopter searched the area.
Saturday, Mountain Rescue Teams and Dogs called.
2 minutes and about 200 meters from her home Max found the lady.

She had spent 2 nights in a woodland in freezing temperatures, unable to stand
so crawled under a tree for shelter.

What surprised me apart from her being alive, was that she said that "Max had
licked her face".
He has never made contact with a victim before, normally only gets within 1
meter before returning to me to do the refined sequence.

Could it be that Max realized that she was in distress.

Good news is that after a night in hospital she is now back at home safe

I am a member of Dartmoor SRT Tavistock http://www.drg-tavistock.org.uk and
SARDA England http://www.sardaengland.org.uk
Max is an air scent search dog