A beloved dog that went missing in August 2021 has been reunited with his owner after a backcountry skier found him four months later, huddled up in deep snow. Pit bull-terrier mix, Russ, was discovered curled up in the snow near Twin Peaks, west of South Lake Tahoe in California on Dec. 16, seemingly unable to move. The frozen pup growled at the individuals who observed him. However, a man skiing west of Tahoe saw the dog and managed to take photos and posted them online. El Dorado County Animal Services Officer Kyle Shumaker was notified and he tried his luck but was unable to reach Russ through the 5-foot mountainside snow and steep terrain. Alerted to the emergency, TLC 4 Furry Friends & Tahoe PAWS director Wendy Jones called animal search-and-rescue volunteers to respond. Experienced animal tracker Leona Allen, 61, and her volunteer partner, Elsa Gaule, donned their snowshoes and stepped up. …