Heroic Canine Rescues Lost Toddler in Arizona Desert
In a remarkable event in Arizona, a rancher’s dog has been credited with the heroic rescue of a two-year-old boy who wandered away from home and spent a night in the desert.
Authorities received a missing child report on Monday evening from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. The child, Boden Allen, had walked away from his residence in Seligman, Arizona, according to a Facebook post by the agency.
Wearing only a tank top and pajama pants, Allen was alone for about 16 hours. During his nighttime wanderings, the desert he traversed had multiple mountain lion sightings. Fortunately, he was discovered by Buford, a dog owned by a local rancher, at 9 a.m. the next day.
Sheriff’s office spokesperson Paul Wick revealed that Allen’s parents were terribly upset during their son’s absence but were overjoyed to be reunited with him.
Scotty Dundon, the rancher, recounted in an interview with the sheriff’s office, “I’d heard about the missing child before I was going to town, and when I was driving out the driveway I noticed my dog was sitting down by the entrance. And I look up, and the little kid’s standing there with my dog.”
Dundon speculated that the toddler might have followed a powerline leading from his home to Dundon’s property, where Buford found him.
“It was a relief that he was alive. I was ecstatic that he was ok and that my dog found him,” Dundon expressed, reflecting on the toddler’s safe recovery.
Buford, an Anatolian Pyrenees, is known for both his large stature and gentle disposition. Dundon explained that Buford typically stands guard at night, keeping coyotes at bay from the property.
Upon finding the boy, Dundon provided the water and food Allen needed to recover. The toddler explained he had spent the night under a tree.
“[Buford] loves kids. I can imagine he wouldn’t leave him if he found him,” Dundon remarked, amazed at the child’s ability to travel nearly seven miles from home.
When located, Allen was largely unharmed, suffering only minor cuts, scrapes, and mild dehydration, as reported by Wick.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
