Dogs are some of the most amazing animals in the world. Maybe it’s a selfish view, but they are pretty amazing because of the incredible things they do for humans! They’re rescue dogs, therapy dogs, seeing-eye dogs, and more. They can hunt, retrieve, snuggle, and protect, all while loving their owners fiercely. It is this amazing drive that allows stories like this one to happen.
In Ponce De Leon, Florida, one family had the scare of a lifetime.
Having a kid go missing can be one of the most terrifying events in a parent’s life. The feeling of being out of control and not knowing the future is so scary, especially if the child in question could be in harm’s way. For one family, their three-year-old boy, Marshal, went missing. Even worse, the boy has autism and doesn’t have the ability to speak.
While the situation was grim, there was a flicker of hope.
Even though Marshal was missing, there was a bit of hope. Gone with him were their two dogs, Nala and Buckwheat. The two dogs are incredibly loyal to the family and are always looking out for Marshal. The family assumed that they had gone with Marshal, giving them a glimmer of hope. Kayla Stewart, his aunt, said:
“We were panicked, all sorts of worst-case scenarios [were] running through their heads.”
When the family realized the situation, they immediately went to the police and started a search.
With the police in on the search, it was only a matter of time before progress was made. The department posted on their Facebook, saying:
“WCSA SEARCHING FOR A MISSING THREE-YEAR-OLD BOY IN PONCE DE LEON
The child was last seen wearing only a diaper”
With Marshal not being able to speak, it made the search even more important.
With the neighbors and police force out looking for little Marshal, they started working. They knew that the dogs were with the boy and added the info as a detail in helping to locate the boy.
“Our expectations going into a search of that magnitude are always to get as many agency members on the ground as possible to aid in the search.”
A mile away from home, a neighbor saw what she thought was a boy in a diaper with some dogs.
Realizing this was Marshal, the entire force flocked to see if the sighting was right. Finally, the boy was found. Marshal was found with his dogs walking around, not too far from his home, dirty and perfectly fine. His dogs had kept him safe the entire time, making sure he didn’t wander too far.
[His] dogs were right there with him,” the neighbor recalled. “[We’re] thankful that the pups kind of guided him along, I guess they kept him safe.”
With Marshal back home, everyone was safe and happy.
Marshal was home thanks to his neighbors and his guardian pups. Who knows how things would have ended up if it wasn’t for the dogs making sure he didn’t wander far and get himself hurt.
“Marshal was in good spirits when found. A little dirty from the walk through the woods, but unharmed and happy,” Dobridnia added. “Dogs are loyal creatures. I feel like they probably knew to stay with him when they saw he was alone. Their instincts kicked in. They stayed with the boy and watched over him until he was located.”
We don’t deserve dogs!
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