Dogs have a remarkable way of proving themselves as guardians of the smallest members in the family, and this story is the only proof you will ever need.
When a mom named Brooke Chase noticed that her 2-year-old toddler had wandered away from her home in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, she was utterly scared and frantic.
The mother didn’t realize at that time that despite being lost, the little girl had two of the best guardians in the world protecting her.
Toddler Walked Three Miles
The Chase family lives in rural Faithorn, a small town in northern Michigan. Thea Chase, a 2-year-old girl, was playing outside in the yard when, at one point, she must have walked off.
As soon as Brooke, Thea’s mom, noticed that she was not around, she started frantically calling and searching for the little girl. They soon noticed that the dogs were missing, too.
After about 20 minutes of fruitless searching, the family notified the authorities.
“When we get a call like that, everything else stops,” Lt. Mark Giannunzio, from Michigan State Police told CNN.
Troopers used drones and search-and-rescue canine teams, while the family members and the rest of the community formed a search party.
They all assumed that the little girl must be somewhere in the heavily wooded area around the house.
“I was in such a fog and in such a shock that she was literally gone, in a split second,” Thea’s mom told the local news station, WJMN, during an interview.
Around midnight, four hours after the police were notified, the little girl and her two dogs were found safe and sound about 3 miles from their home.
Miraculous Discovery
“She laid down and used one of the dogs as a pillow, and the other dog laid right next to her and kept her safe. It’s a really remarkable story,” Lt. Mark Giannunzio told ABC News.
Around midnight, a family friend, on his ATV, found the barefoot little girl and her two guardians about 3 miles from her house.
The family’s Rottweiler, Buddy, watched over the little girl who was using Hartley, the Springer Spaniel, as her fluffy pillow.
When this family friend tried to approach the little girl, the Rottweiler started barking, and the smaller dog growled. They both made sure that she was perfectly safe.
According to Giannunzio, Thea was later examined by the medical staff who found her to be in good health.
“She has those dogs wrapped around her finger. They come to her calls over our calls. She still has no idea the amount of fear she put me in that night, I’m just thankful the dogs never left her side,” the mom said.
Buddy and Heartly both deserve a huge round of ap-paws. As long as Thea has them, nothing bad will happen to her.
