A beloved dog, Cooper, stayed with a lost boy until both were found safe in North Dakota earlier this week, according to The Huffington Post.
Carson Urness, 3, disappeared from his backyard around 7:30 p.m. on Monday. A search party involving some 200 people was organized in an effort to find the boy. It took seven hours for the volunteers to find the boy when a volunteer saw the golden retriever-german shepherd mix close to a knoll.
The boy was huddled underneath the dog, who it seems kept the boy safe during a thunderstorm by using his body to shield the toddler.
“You think of the worst, but then I knew Cooper was gone. If anyone was going to find him, they’d just have to find Cooper,” Carson’s mother, Courtney Urness, told WDAZ-TV.
Carson and Cooper were found just one mile from the family’s farm in Cooperstown. People searching in foot were sent home around 2 a.m. due to heavy rain. Volunteers searching using ATVs continued to do so until one volunteer found the dog.
Carson was taken back to the family’s farm on an ATV with Cooper following on the ground close behind. Carson was taken to a hospital for precautionary exams, but seems to be fine.
Carson’s father, Brock Urness, said that he was thankful to everyone who helped look for his son.
“We’re very thankful for the police and local fire department here and all the people with horses and four-wheelers and the walkers,” Urness said. “We’re very grateful that they all came and looked and helped us.”