A true good boy: rancher’s dog leads two-year-old Arizona child to safety

Toddler had wandered from his home in to mountain lion territory when Buford, out on his nightly patrol, found him
Marina Dunbar
Thu 17 Apr 2025 16.34 EDT
Last modified on Thu 17 Apr 2025 16.43 EDT

A two-year-old boy who spent a night alone in the Arizona wilderness was led to safety by a rancher’s dog and was recovering safely at home with his family on Thursday.

The toddler, identified as Boden Allen, disappeared from his home in Seligman, Arizona, at around 5pm local time on Monday, about 100 miles south of the Grand Canyon national park, prompting a large search operation. He was wearing just a blue tank top and pajama pants at the time, the Yavapai county sheriff’s office said in a missing person notice.

Allen had wandered off from his home, ending up several miles away and in territory where mountain lions live and roam, according to a Facebook post from police officials. Search parties continued their efforts throughout the night and spotted two mountain lions along the way. After 16 hours of searching, the boy was rescued.

Scotty Dunton, a rancher whose property is seven miles away from Allen’s home, said that his dog, Buford, had discovered the wandering boy. The canine had been patrolling the ranch, his regular function, and appeared to have protected and shepherded the missing boy to safety after discovering him. The boy reportedly told the rancher he had slept under a tree.

. . .