- Boden Allen, 2, went missing from his home in Seligman, Arizona, on Monday, April 14
- 16 hours later, he was discovered on the property of rancher Scottie Dunton, 7 miles away, where he had been led “at least a mile” to safety by Dunton’s dog, Buford
- Dunton said the child was “upset” but in “good shape” and called his epic, 7 mile journey through mountainous terrain “insane”
A 2-year-old toddler was led to safety by a rancher’s dog after spending the night alone in the remote Arizona wilderness.
According to a release from Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, a 40-person search team was dispatched when Boden Allen “wandered off” from his home in Seligman, Arizona, at about 5 p.m. on Monday, April 14.
After 16 hours of searching for the child — who, per a police missing person’s poster shared via Facebook, was wearing a blue tank top and pajama pants when he disappeared — he was discovered on the property of a rancher approximately 7 miles from home.
“Upon arrival at the ranch, deputies confirmed that this indeed was the missing boy,” the police said in their statement, adding that 2 mountain lions had been spotted by a Department of Public Safety helicopter in the local area during the overnight search.
Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office
The racher, who was subsequently identified as Scottie Dunton by NBC affiliate KPNX of Phoenix, said that his dog Buford had discovered Boden while patrolling his property. Dunton said Buford “likely protected and directed the missing boy to safety,” in an on-camera police interview.
Dunton told police that discovering little Boden, who he said was “upset” but “in good shape,” was “a relief.”
“I was ecstatic that he was ok and that my dog found him,” he added. The little boy also told the rancher that he had been discovered by the dog, an Anatolian Pyrenees, after “holding up” under a tree all night.
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Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office
“He loves kids so we wouldn’t leave him when he found him,” Dunton continued of his canine. The racher also said that Buford typically patrolled the property “all night” to ward off coyotes.
According to a report from NBC News, beef farmer Dunton traced the boy’s steps and found the dog had escorted him for at least a mile.
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“I can’t believe that kid made it that far,” Dunton told police of Boden’s epic journey. “It’s seven miles and that’s if you walked in a straight line. There are three big mountain ranges between here and his house.”
“For a 2-year-old to do that is insane,” he concluded.
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