Posted on 06/28/2008 7:44:41 AM PDT by girlangler
Deputies Find Missing 3-Year-Old Protected By Family's Pet Dogs
Published: 1:43 AM, 06/28/2008
Deeply Grateful Mom Is Quickly Reunited
With Son, Thanks To Officers, Neighbors
By BILL JONES
Staff Writer
The mother of a three-year-old boy who was found safe Friday morning after wandering away from his northern Greene County home called The Greeneville Sun Friday afternoon to express heartfelt thanks for the fast response of neighbors and sheriff's deputies when she discovered her son was missing.
Kristen (Mrs. Jimmy) Thach, of Roaring Fork Road, told the Sun late Friday afternoon that her son, David, 3, "just took off" from their residence that morning.
"I was in my house, and he just took off," she said. "I went to use the restroom, and when I came back, he was gone."
Frantic, she immediately called 911 and was quickly connected with the Greene County Sheriff's Department.
Within only a few minutes -- so fast that "I was really amazed," she said -- at least five Sheriff's Department cars reached her home on Roaring Fork Road and began combing the area for the three-year-old.
She said she believes as many as six deputies took part in the search.
Meanwhile, she explained, she had also hurried to neighbors' homes to ask if they had seen David. No one had seen him, "but they just took it upon themselves to come out and start looking for him."
"This whole road was looking for him!" she said gratefully.
A short time later, the child was found unharmed by a sheriff's deputy about a half-mile from the Thach home.
Protected By Dogs
The little boy was unharmed and was accompanied -- and aggressively protected -- by the family's two pet dogs, especially a purebred pit bulldog named "Baby." Also accompanying David was the family's Jack Russell terrier, "Sassy."
Kristen Thach said that, when her little boy was discovered, a deputy came to get her and told her that David had been found but that the pit bull would not let anyone near him.
By the time she reached the scene, though, she continued, Deputy Jimmy Morgan had David in his arms and was bringing him to her. She never learned how Morgan had managed to get past the pit bull, she said.
Thach repeatedly expressed her deepest thanks to both the deputies and her neighbors.
"They did such a great job!" she said, "And without them, we probably wouldn't have found him."
Heard Barking Dogs
A Greene County Sheriff's Department dispatcher told the Sun that the boy was reported missing from his home in the 2800 block of Roaring Fork Road at 10:26 a.m., but was found a short time later by Deputy Sheriff Morgan.
"I was just lucky enough to find him," Morgan said Friday, noting that Sgt. Glenna Estepp and Deputy Michael Jones also were searching for the missing boy, along with several neighbors of the missing youth.
During a telephone interview about noon, Deputy Morgan said officers had been told that the boy might be with his pet dogs and that he had been missing for about 30 minutes.
While searching a creek bank near the boy's home, Morgan said, he heard dogs barking in the distance, returned to his patrol car, and drove in the direction of the barking dogs.
Shortly thereafter, he located the three-year-old.
'He Had A Little Adventure'
When David was discovered, the officer said, the boy was "looking at some cows" in a pasture.
"He said he had been down to the water," Morgan said, noting that the boy was apparently talking about a small creek near where he was found.
Radio transmissions between Greene County 911 and Greene County-Greeneville Emergency Medical Services indicated that Mrs. Thach requested that he be "checked out" by EMS personnel due to possible dehydration and exposure to the sun.
However, Deputy Morgan said the boy did not require transportation to a hospital.
"He just had a little adventure," Morgan said.
-- Editor John M. Jones Jr. also contributed to this article.
For your doggie ping lists.
GOOD doggie ping!
All I can say is I am glad she had the right guys there.
I’ve heard stories like this where a)the mother was reported to DCF for a checkout and b)the dogs were shot.
There are plenty of wonderful cops, but one experience with a bad one or some ridiculous law can scar you forever. (Been there, done that)
Amazing that this is a story. A sign of the times, I guess.
I’m betting that practically every parent has had a small child “wander off” at least once. No matter how vigilant you are, kids are mighty quick.
In almost every case, notwithstanding a parent’s worst fears and quickened pulse rate, the child is just fine.
Probably so. My brother once asked Mom if he could go turkey hunting. She said yes and they found him a mile away.
That wasn't as bad as the time he asked if he could chop down the little oak trees next door. (Poison Oak!!!)
heehee
I have three boys. I made the mistake of letting them watch wholesome Little House on the Prairie. I went to do a load of laundry and found them chopping a tree down in our backyard! They said that Pa Ingalls had built his home so they could build one too. They were 7, 5, and 3 at the time. Mind you, they had to climb on each other’s shoulders to get to the ax in the garage.
>>I’m betting that practically every parent has had a small child “wander off” at least once<<
Even if it’s an aisle over at the store. You bet.
Worst feeling in the world.....
Well we invited all the neighborhood kids over one day after school and took turns trying to dig a whole to China in the backyard. I think we got about 10 feet deep. I remember it being well over the digger’s heads.
Dad was furious!!
Bravo!
“The little boy was unharmed and was accompanied — and aggressively protected — by the family’s two pet dogs, especially a purebred pit bulldog named “Baby.” Also accompanying David was the family’s Jack Russell terrier, “Sassy.”
A Pit Bull and a Mini Pit Bull. He was well protected.
Thanks for the ping girlangler! When I was about this fellow's age my Mom had me secured out front of the house with some sort of harness that connected to my pants. She took her eyes off me for a moment and when she looked again the pants were there but I was gone. I was on my way to see my Dad where he worked about a mile away. Couldn't understand why a big fuss was made about it.
Aren’t you keeping some kind of list of dogs vs. cats? Chalk one point up for the dogs.
Technology today lets a parent put a GPS tracker in a kids shoes, a watch, their jackets etc as well as on their puppies collars !
Lost doggies, car, valuable or lost little kid ...........technology is yer friend !
Isn't that the truth?
Our little daughter saw the world as her Big Back Yard (the name of a kids' magazine)...
She was an early walker (8 1/2 months) and 'escaped' one afternoon, to our horror.
Found her sitting comfy at the neighbor's house, munching a cookie. Our kindly old neighbor just smiled and said, "Missing something?"
I'd left the front door unlocked ~ she must've pushed it open somehow. Never again! Worst feeling in the world.
this link works. http://greenevillesun.com/story/296040
Man phones his brother's house.
Little girl's whispering voice: "Hello?"
Man: "Hi, Cindy. It's Uncle Bob. Is your Daddy home?"
Little girl's whispering voice: "Yes, but he's very busy right now.
Man: "What about your Mommy. Is she home?"
Little girl's whispering voice: "She's very busy too."
Man: "Are there any grown-ups there I can talk to? I have to leave a message for your Daddy"
Little girl's whispering voice: "The Policemen are here but they are very busy too.
Man: "Police? There are Policemen there?
Little girl's whispering voice: "Yes. They brought Police doggies and hellocoppers too.
Man: "You mean helicopters? What's going on?!?"
Little girl's whispering voice: "They are trying very hard to find someone."
Man: "Oh my goodness!! Who are they looking for?!?
Little girl's whispering voice: "They're looking for me."
What a great story! Good dogs!
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