Cooper, the hero mutt

I love THIS story. A toddler vanished, but, for once, there's a happy ending. Three year old Carson Urness decided to take a walk while his mother was inside taking care of the baby. He's not supposed the leave the yard, but, he'd seen his dad leave on the tractor while watching out the window earlier. They think he tried to follow his dad. He vanished at 7:30 pm, Monday, which is the last time of day the light is nice for kids, right? You give them that last, half hour or so around that time. I do anyway. Here's the scary part, the family lives on a 10 acre property in North Dakota. OMG, that's a lot of land. I looked at the background there and it looks like Iowa/Mo. where I live. Fields, tree lines, repeat for miles. The tree lines are deceptive. They look smallish, but, they hold vast crevices, old wells, creeks with deep holes, wild animals, including large predators. Even the fields can be dangerous at night. That's where predators hunt!

Look at that background. Oh, geez, even the sight of those silos fills me with terror. So many kid have been lost in silos because no one thinks to look there.


They called 911 at 8:30 and a big search was launched. Searchers found the boy at 2:30 am, just when the search was being called off. It was the dog who raised his head from tall grass allowing them to spot the pair. If Cooper hadn't heard the searchers and flashed them his head, the boy would not have been spotted at night in this remote area. Little Carson wasn't even cold because his buddy Cooper, had laid down on top of him keeping him warm. This isn't even one of those stories where the animal hero could be mistaken for luck. Nope. Cooper is a mutt that was found dumped by the side of the road. He was taken in by this family and he became the family dog. He appreciates his home and he never leaves the yard. This one time..he did. He followed Carson. He must have known that kid was up to no good and needed supervision. There is no other way to interpret his behavior. Rescuers actually found the dog laying across the child, warming and protecting him. He only gave up his charge, when he knew the boy was safe.

That dog is a true hero and I'll bet that family is so glad they took in an unwanted mutt. Their kindness has now been repaid times a million. Kinna brings tears to your eyes, doesn't it?