Missing Toddler Found Guarded By Family Dog ( I love a good og story )

News4ax.com ^ | 11:25 am EDT June 30, 2004 | AP

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Missing Toddler Found Guarded By Family Dog

Girl, Dog Disappeared From Family's Back Yard

POSTED: 11:25 am EDT June 30,

2004
BETHLEHEM, Ind. -- Some 90 people searched through the night for a missing 2-year old girl before she was found safe Wednesday morning with a family dog on an Ohio River bank.

Daisy Smith was found more than a mile from her home by a Clark County conservation officer taking part in a search that began after she and the dog disappeared from the family's back yard about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Conservation Officer Andy Crozier found the girl about 6:30 a.m. after following dog tracks that led him to the family's Labrador retriever at the site about 25 miles northeast of Louisville, Ky.

"I found the tracks and just followed them," Crozier told The Evening News of Jeffersonville. "When I first found the girl she appeared fine, but obviously scared. The dog was a little hesitant to let me get near her, after I made up to him a little bit he let me bring her to safety."

Emergency management workers examined the girl at the home of her parents -- Les and Cheryl Smith.

"You couldn't believe how happy I was when I heard," Les Smith said. "My wife called me at work last night and told me what had happened, and ever since then you can't even describe what's going through your mind. When they told me that they found her, it was unbelievable."

Conservation Officer Mac Spainhour said the family dog was to thank for the girl's safety.

"This girl has a guardian angel," Spainhour said. "And it's the dog. He stayed with her throughout the night, and in the end he led us to her."

Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[LowOiL]

I hate to pee on everyone's parade here. But one and only time I ever found a lost child, the dog was either partially/fully to blame. The little tot (under 2 y/o) followed the family dog out of the house (unlatching a screen) and down the street. The dog was in persuit of an another dog (that was in heat).

I found the child about 4 blocks from her home in the middle of an busy intersection. She screamed like the dickens when I picked her up. I had my wife call the police fast (didn't want to be considered a kid napper).

So I would imagine the dog probable had more to do with the child being lost than the opposite. The kid followed something, and most likely it was the lab.

Flame resistant undies on

[SAMWolf]

[snippy_about_it]

Awwww, what a cute graphic.

[Phsstpok]

I love Cats (ats too). We have three of them. However, I've never been able to shake the feeling that they view humans as meat on the hoof.

If they could only figure out a way to drop us we'd be doomed!

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks PE, great dog/og story. ;-)

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Sums it up nicely!

[Museum Twenty]

bump

[looscnnn]

No animosity at all, I have lived with cats in the past. Never abused animals. My wife's grandmother has a cat that loves to bat at water coming out of a faucet and to sit on me when we visit. I do how cats and dogs are. Cats would rather live solitary lives and dogs would rather live in a pack (your family) just like in the wild. In fact, my dog and my youngest son constantly wrestle with each other, I firmly beleive the dog is doing this to establish dominance over him (he knows he has dominance over my older two sons).

[f zero]

Woof / BTT

[AngryJawa]

I'm sorry to hear about your Dobie. She sounds like she was a great dog.