Walking With Jesus: Missing toddler found alive in a pond early Saturday morning (Pawhuska, OK)

Pawhuska Journal-Capital ^ | October 18, 2008 | MATT CONLEY

[Joya]

Little Ali Tuller will soon be sporting a bracelet that contains the inscription “Walking With Jesus.”

That couldn’t be more appropriate, after the night she had on October 3.

Tracy Ali Jo Tuller, who goes by Ali, is the 23-month-old daughter of Shanna and Robert Tuller. She crawled out of her bed and slipped out the sliding glass door of the couple’s home located a few miles south of town. She started her walk sometime between midnight and 1:30 Saturday morning, which was when her mom discovered her missing.

“That night was my birthday, and my husband and I put the children to bed and stayed up late in the living room. When I went to check on the kids at 1:30 that morning before we went to bed, Ali wasn’t in bed,” said Shanna. “We have five children, and three of them were at home that night. We woke up the two boys, and frantically searched the house. She just wasn’t anywhere.”

Shanna called 911, and within minutes rescue workers, firefighters, people from the police and sheriff’s office, family and friends were on the scene, combing the area. The search lasted until nearly 4 a.m., when Gibbie Gibson, a rescue worker from Wynona, found little Ali standing in the middle of a pond about a mile from her home.

“He walked out to get her, and the water was well up past his waist,” said Shanna. “When he got to her, though, the water wasn’t even up to her waist, and she wasn’t standing on anything. It had to have been God holding her up. Gibbie was in shock when he saw it, and really had no explanation other than a miracle.”

The search seemed much more of an ordeal for the family and rescue workers than it was for young Ali. After all, right around the pond where Ali was found, people came across two cougars, a pack of coyotes, and even killed a copperhead snake. Everybody was muddy, scratched up, and wet from the big storm that rolled through the area.

Not Ali, though, who was unfazed, and practically dry despite walking around in the rain and wading out into the pond. She didn’t have a scratch on her, and her hair wasn’t even messed up.

“She went out without her shoes on, walked all that distance, and even had to cross two barbed wire fences to get to where they found her,” said Shanna. “There had to be at least 60 or 70 people out searching for her that night, and after it was all over, they were all in worse shape than Ali. My daughter wasn’t even scared, she was just out for a walk.”

Ali wasn’t sure why she went for her late night walk, and really didn’t have much to say later. But Shanna certainly has thought a lot about the ordeal, and she is convinced Ali wasn’t alone during her trek through the woods.

“There is not a doubt in my mind that God was with her, watching over her that night,” said Shanna. “God must have a special purpose for Ali. Our only guess as to why Ali was in the pond is that God must have put her there to keep her away from the cougars. I hope this story touches people, because it has certainly touched our lives. There is a God out there, and he is watching over all of us. God was definitely with Ali that night.”

[Scotswife]

Never underestimate a 2 yr. old.

[Scotswife]

“Somewhere, M. Night Shyamalan is staying up late writing a draft. “

A truly horrifying plot!

I like Patricia Heaton’s idea for a version of Survivor that involves adults having to chase several toddlers around 24/7.

[Mrs. P]

I have another collie story for you. I owned one for years, and one of his uncles was owned by someone I knew. This other dog once stopped a child riding one of those big wheel plastic trykes from riding out into the street by lying down in front of him and letting the kid ram into his ribs.

Another time the dog was whining to get outside and finally zipped out the door when someone opened it. He ran over to the fence and started barking. It turned out that the little old lady next door (who always petted him and talked to him through the fence) had fallen in her back yard and was injured. She was crying but couldn’t make enough noise for any neighbor to hear, but the dog heard!

[Quix]

Precious.

They are incredible dogs.

If only they didn’t shed such great globs of hair! LOL.

Still, I’ve had 5 collies. My first one was my babysitter. Grandma always bragged that she only needed to see the dogs tail to know I was OK.

One was a border collie.

Thanks for a great collie story.

[SweetCaroline]

*

[Joya]

Wow, it made Reader’s Digest. I used to love RD. Haven’t read it lately, though. Thanks.

[Joya]

Yes, ma’am, good story. I LOVE your tagline.

[Joya]

Collies are wonderful dogs, smart and beautiful.

Thanks for the accounts of a brave, strong, and smart dog.

BTW, I LOVE your tagline, too.

[Joya]

Yes, collies do shed tons of hair.

And I have heard tell of taking it and spinning it into yarn, which would be very nice, with plenty of wonderful lanolin.

[Mrs. P]

I spin, and made lots of yarn from my Shelties and Collies. It has to be carded with sheep’s wool though, so that the dog fuzz stays in the yarn and doesn’t shed.

My first collie has been gone for 13 years but he still is with me, sounds sort of corny, but it is beautiful yarn. It has a halo like angora.

I don’t have any yarn made from the collie whose name was Lucky. One fall he killed a skunk, it took three separate encounters but he finally finished the thing off. He lived outside that winter!

[Joya]

LOL!!! Three tries to finish off the skunk, eh?

Congrats on spinning. I didn’t know that about having to card collie hair (fur?) with sheep’s wool. Interesting.

I had a collie, and I loved getting the lanolin from his coat on my hands when I petted him a long time.

[He climbed chain link fences, can you imagine?]

[SweetCaroline]

Thanks, yours is great too!

[tiki]

She’s 14 and it really scared her.

[Joya]

14? Wow. I don’t know that much about sleepwalking.

Maybe she should attach a cowbell to her bedroom door. Just kidding. Sorta.

[wardaddy]

I'm sure the Godless Palin haters have their own explanation.

[Joya]

What is that Bible verse? They would not believe, even if One rose from the dead.

[fatima]

Praise God.

[wardaddy]

hey...i confess it can happen to anyone

we have 5 kids with 4 at home including 3 boys under 9

the 22 month old wandered out into the garage while the 6 year old was watching TV in the den with him and mom and i were in the kitchen.....6 year old failed to say anything

next thing via phone call we knew he was next door at their back porch glass door at dusk, 35 yards away

we were humiliated...they are childless, both lawyers but very sweet....

we ran over and grabbed him and got them a bottle of Paradux Meritage in kind

first time that ever happened i can recall with all these kids....some are wanderers and climbers

i was about that age when I climbed to the top of this home in Mississippi...our ancestral homeplace.....the roofers grabbed me up, i had climbed the scaffolding 3 stories above a brick driveway

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We have coyotes too...beaucoup...i don't let my little kids out at night in the back without me if i can help it

sometimes God is watching...no doubt in my mind about that

[wardaddy]

78

i like happy threads btw....thank u

[Squantos]

Indeed......kids cheat death daily with their innocent exploration of their surroundings. And when that has been conquered they expand their horizons and push the press to test button and travel !

Mom’s and Dad’s have their hands full !

Ya’ll stay safe !