A family dog came to the rescue of a missing 2-year-old boy after he went missing for several hours in central Minnesota.
Authorities said the toddler was playing with siblings outside his home in Richmond last week when he wandered away. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says family members called authorities after they failed to locate him as it grew dark.
After hours of searching, Minnesota State Police used a Patrol helicopter and spotted the boy and his dog using the chopper’s heat-seeking camera.
Video footage shows the dog staying by the boy’s side until searchers found him.
Sheriff's Lt. Vic Weiss says the dog was in protection mode and played a major role in finding the boy about three hours after he disappeared.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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