The high desert of northern Arizona is unforgivable, especially overnight when temperatures drop and predators come out. There were even two mountain lions spotted during the search last night. These conditions are what 2-year-old Boden Allen faced when he walked off his parents' property Monday and into the northern Arizona high desert. Yavapai County search and rescue teams jumped into action, but Megan Fitzgerald with the sheriff's office says cases like this don't usually turn out like they'd hoped. It's *** rarity, so it is not every day that we get to sit here and talk about *** happy ending where the child was safe and located. But it was the four-legged loyal ranch dog Buford who found Boden the next morning, 7 miles from home. Going down the driveway. My dog was sitting down there with the little kid just brought him up from the horse pasture and brought him over to the gate and was just hanging out with him. His owner Scotty Dutton says the only explanation he can think of is Bowden followed the power line all the way to his property. You walk all night? And he goes, No, I slept under *** tree, and I said, Well, did my dog find you? And he said, Yep. Power line lines out to his house 7 miles away. The sheriff's office says they can't explain how the 2-year-old walked 7 miles, but they're relieved he was found safe and in good spirits. As for Buford, he's back to work tonight, but not without *** little reward. Oh, he's getting steak dinner tonight. My wife said, Yeah, he did *** great job.
Arizona toddler rescued by ranch dog after night in desert
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Updated: 9:29 PM CDT Apr 16, 2025
A 2-year-old boy in Arizona is home safe after wandering away from his home and spending the night in the northern Arizona high desert, where he was eventually rescued by a ranch dog.The toddler, Boden Allen, walked off his parents' property on Monday and faced the harsh conditions of the high desert, where temperatures drop overnight and predators, including mountain lions, come out."There were even two mountain lions spotted during the search last night," said Megan Fitzgerald of the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office.Yavapai County search and rescue teams quickly mobilized, but Fitzgerald noted that such cases often do not have happy endings."It's a rarity, so it is not every day that we get to sit here and talk about a happy ending where the child was safe and located," Fitzgerald said.The next morning, a loyal ranch dog named Buford found Boden seven miles from home."Going down the driveway. My dog was sitting down there with the little kid just brought him up from the horse pasture and brought him over to the gate and was just hanging out with him," said Scotty Dunton, Buford's owner.Dunton believes Boden followed the power line all the way to his property."You walk all night? And he goes, No, I slept under a tree, and I said, Well, did my dog find you? And he said, Yep. Power line lines out to his house 7 miles away," Dunton said.
A 2-year-old boy in Arizona is home safe after wandering away from his home and spending the night in the northern Arizona high desert, where he was eventually rescued by a ranch dog.
The toddler, Boden Allen, walked off his parents' property on Monday and faced the harsh conditions of the high desert, where temperatures drop overnight and predators, including mountain lions, come out.
"There were even two mountain lions spotted during the search last night," said Megan Fitzgerald of the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office.
Yavapai County search and rescue teams quickly mobilized, but Fitzgerald noted that such cases often do not have happy endings.
"It's a rarity, so it is not every day that we get to sit here and talk about a happy ending where the child was safe and located," Fitzgerald said.
The next morning, a loyal ranch dog named Buford found Boden seven miles from home.
"Going down the driveway. My dog was sitting down there with the little kid just brought him up from the horse pasture and brought him over to the gate and was just hanging out with him," said Scotty Dunton, Buford's owner.
Dunton believes Boden followed the power line all the way to his property.
"You walk all night? And he goes, No, I slept under a tree, and I said, Well, did my dog find you? And he said, Yep. Power line lines out to his house 7 miles away," Dunton said.
