Lost Toddler Found Safe Thanks to a Hero Ranch Dog

As a parent, few things are more terrifying than not knowing where your little one has gone. But when one Arizona family’s toddler wandered off in the night, a miracle appeared in the form of an extra fluffy, four-legged friend.

Two-year-old Boden Allen was reported missing by his parents to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office on April 14. According to a Facebook post from the agency, Allen had walked away from his home in the small town of Seligman, Arizona, dressed only in a tank top and pajama pants. He spent roughly 16 hours alone, wandering seven miles through the desert overnight.

Search and rescue teams were dispatched quickly, but after 15+ hours of looking, there was still no sign of the toddler—until a patrolling ranch dog named Buford made a life-saving discovery. Buford, an Anatolian Pyrenees mix known for protecting cattle from coyotes and mountain lions, was out on his usual evening patrol when he presumably spotted something unusual: a small child sleeping beneath a tree.

“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,” Buford’s owner, Scotty Dunton, told the Sheriff’s Office.

Though confused, dehydrated, and sporting a few cuts and scrapes, Allen was otherwise okay. Dunton said he gave the toddler food and water and let him settle before Allen explained he’d spent the night sleeping under a tree until Buford came along and led him to safety.

“[Buford] loves kids. I can imagine he wouldn’t leave him if he found him,” Dunton said. "It was a relief that he was alive. I was ecstatic that he was ok and that my dog found him.”

Now that’s one good boi!