Boden Allen, a two-year-old boy, was returned safe after going missing from his home in Seligman, Arizona on August 11th. The tragic crash occurred at approximately 5 p.m. local time on Monday. It triggered a riveting multi-state 16-hour search and rescue operation. It was approximately 100 miles south of the Grand Canyon National Park — quite a detour that Boden had taken! Fortunately, a search party led by a rancher’s dog named Buford found him alive and well.
The intense search that ended with the boy’s recovery began just hours after Boden’s family reported him missing. Local authorities and volunteers quickly mobilized, scouring the surrounding wilderness in search of clues to the whereabouts of the missing young boy. Search personnel struggled to find him because of his nearly two-mile spread. Accompanied by rough terrain, the threat of wildlife (like two mountain lions recently spotted in the area) and exploding ordnance, this is one dangerous operation.
Buford, a five-year-old Great Pyrenees-Anatolian mix, helped save Boden’s life and led to his rescue. Credited as a wildlife protector, Buford had been covering the landscape surrounding his owner’s ranch before the search started. His instinctive reaction would come in handy when his intuition led him and the search party straight to Boden.
“I look up and the little kid’s standing there with my dog,” said Scotty Dunton, Buford’s owner.
When Boden was located, he was only wearing a blue tank top and pajama bottoms. So while he was obviously shaken and had racked up a number of scrapes and bruises, he fortunately didn’t incur any serious injuries. After his rescue, Boden was reunited with his happy family.
“I can’t believe that kid made it that far,” Dunton remarked, expressing his astonishment at the young boy’s survival in the wild.
In addition to Buford’s assistance, the community’s quick response and determination to find Boden were vital in ensuring his safe return. With his return home, relief flooded this family of three now turned four. After a months long and terrifying ordeal, they were able to hold their son again.
“He goes out at night and just kind of patrols. He goes half a mile, a mile from the house and just makes big loops, keeps coyotes out,” Dunton added, highlighting Buford’s protective nature.