Last week, a 3-year-boy wandered away from his home in western South Dakota and became lost in the woods. The temperature was in the 30s. There was snow on the ground. Were there predators around?
No matter. The family dog had gone after the toddler. That family dog is a Pit Bull.
Meanwhile, back at the house, the boy’s mother made a panicked 911 call, saying that she had turned her back and her toddler disappeared. Police launched an intense search. It wasn’t too hard — there were footprints in the snow, but they sometimes disappeared.
“We took off on a dead run until we found him,” said Custer County Sheriff Rick Wheeler, according to the Rapid City Journal.
That took nearly an hour, and it led them a quarter-mile away from the house. Actually, they found the dog first. The dog didn’t want them going anywhere near the boy. Sheriff Wheeler obliged. He stayed put.
“He was showing me that this was not my area,” said Wheeler. “I know that look.”
The Pit Bull didn’t become aggressive; he just stayed his ground, protecting the boy. The standoff ended once the boy’s father reached the area and relived the dog of his duty. No doubt the Pittie was relieved. That toddler must have been driving him crazy.
But seriously — the boy is fine, and he was reportedly very excited by all the people and emergency vehicles at his house.
Via the Rapid City Journal
