The emotional reunion with the dog's owners was captured on TikTok and subsequently went viral.
A peaceful hike through the woods took a turn when Jason Hawkins (@hawkins.hikes) came across a small, terrified dog far from the trail. What began as a quiet adventure quickly became a viral story that touched thousands across TikTok.
"I was just worried," Hawkins tells PEOPLE, remembering the first time he saw the pup curled up among the trees. "When I saw how far he was, I knew that he got away from [his owners], which meant it probably wouldn't be super easy to get him back."
Hawkins had been preparing for a relaxing trek when two young women approached him at the trailhead, asking about a missing dog. He didn't think much of it at the time, but their words stayed with him as he set off down the path.
"I thought they kind of had things under control," Hawkins explains. "But I'm glad that they asked me, because it definitely got me at least on somewhat of an alert."
Not long into his hike, Hawkins spotted something moving through the underbrush. What looked like a shadow at first turned out to be the dog, skittish and exhausted from wandering.
"I was like a quarter mile into the actual hike and I looked off just, you know, taking in the views, and I thought I saw him kind of scurry a little bit," Hawkins recalls. "He started running off, running away from me for a little while, but eventually, when I finally caught up to him, he was just laid down. I think he was tired of running."
The dog wasn't easy to approach, especially after rejecting Hawkins' first attempts to scoop him up. Hawkins knew he needed a gentler way to build trust.
"Honestly, it just took a bit of time," Hawkins tells PEOPLE. "When he was laid down, I kind of just slowly approached him and was just talking to him and it didn’t seem like he was super interested in bolting, so I made my way a little bit closer."
Sitting with the frightened pup, Hawkins tried to offer water from a bottle cap, but the animal wasn't interested. He realized then he would need to be resourceful to guide him back.
"This was my third hike of the day and the only hike that I did not actually have gear with me, because I was just going to some hot springs," Hawkins says. "So I just had like a towel and some swim stuff in there, but luckily I still had my tripod."
That tripod became the lifeline between Hawkins and the stranded dog. Using the small clip attached, he fashioned a makeshift leash that kept both of them safe.
"As soon as I got it on him and kind of gave a little bit of a pull and he realized what was happening, he was perfect," Hawkins remembers. "He got right up started walking back and he seemed happy and like he knew what he was doing."
Step by step, the unlikely pair began the journey back to the trail. Though weary, the dog allowed Hawkins to pet him and seemed to understand he was no longer alone.
"He was letting me pet him at least," Hawkins shares. "I’m not sure if he was hurt from the jump out of the car or something which is why he didn’t like being picked up but other than that he seemed to appreciate the help."
The TikTok video shows the moment when Hawkins guided the pup back toward civilization, both of them moving with cautious determination. Along the way, Hawkins wrapped the dog in his jacket after sacrificing his towel to a nearby river.
"I tried to text the number on his tag, hoping that satellite texting might work," Hawkins tells PEOPLE. "I could not get calls to go through, but luckily I did get a text to send."
Not long after, a car pulled up near the trailhead. Inside were the dog's anxious owners, who had been searching for hours since their pet leapt from the vehicle and vanished.
"As soon as she saw him, you could tell she was super happy that he was okay," Hawkins recalls. "She got out, he let her pick him up no problem, and he was obviously happy -- she was crying."
The reunion was the emotional climax of the story, a moment Hawkins says he'll never forget.
"It felt really good to be able to get that family some peace," Hawkins tells PEOPLE. "It was definitely the highlight of the day."
After posting the video, the rescue quickly went viral, amassing more than 1.2 million views and nearly 10,000 comments.
"I've been posting stuff on YouTube for a while and just kind of had a small channel, small following," Hawkins says. "And it was so cool that something like this is what happened to take off, and just so many like-minded and kind people commenting."
The response was so overwhelming that Hawkins found it hard to keep up. For every message he answered, dozens more poured in with words of encouragement.
"I tried to respond to people for a long time but I could not keep up with it," Hawkins admits with a laugh. "But it was just everyone full of love and support and really restored my faith in humanity."
Hawkins never heard back from the family after that emotional moment on the trail. For him, their tearful reunion was closure enough.
"They seemed happy for all that to be over," Hawkins says. "So, I'm not sure if they saw the video, but either way it was a nice reunion and it was so cool."
"It felt really good to be able to get that family some peace," he repeats quietly. "I'm so glad we got him."