Arizona Ranch Dog Leads Missing Toddler to Safety After Harrowing 7-Mile Desert Journey

Buford, an Anatolian Pyrenees belonging to rancher Scotty Dunton, guided a lost two-year-old boy to safety after the toddler spent a full night in the Arizona wilderness

A ranch dog in Arizona is being celebrated as a hero after leading a lost two-year-old child to safety following a 16-hour ordeal in the desert wilderness. The toddler, identified as Boden Allen, had wandered away from his home in Seligman on Monday night, prompting an extensive search operation across the rugged terrain of the Arizona countryside.

The search came to a miraculous end on Tuesday morning when Boden appeared at Dunton Ranch near Kingman, walking alongside a large guardian dog named Buford. The dog belongs to rancher Scotty Dunton, who was preparing to leave his property when he noticed something unusual at the end of his driveway.

“I was heading out and saw Buford sitting at the entrance,” Dunton said. “I looked up and there was a little kid standing next to him. I’d just heard about a missing child, and it hit me immediately—this had to be him.”

Boden Allen, 2

Boden had traveled approximately seven miles from his home, navigating through three mountain ranges, valleys, and harsh canyon land. Temperatures had dropped overnight, and thermal imaging cameras used during the search by the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office revealed the presence of mountain lions in the vicinity.

Dunton believes the boy may have followed a dirt path beneath nearby power lines to reach the ranch. “Even with that trail, I still can't believe the kid made it that far,” he said.

After safely bringing the toddler into his home, Dunton asked the child if he had walked all night. Boden replied that he had slept under a tree. When asked if Buford had found him, the child simply said yes.

Boden Allen missing poster

Buford, an Anatolian Pyrenees known for guarding livestock and patrolling the property nightly, appears to have come across the boy during one of his routine rounds. “He usually patrols up to a mile from the house to keep coyotes away,” Dunton said. “It’s what he does. He loves kids, so I can imagine he wouldn't leave him when he found him.”

Once the child was given water and shelter, Dunton contacted law enforcement. Boden was soon reunited with his family, safe and unharmed after his night alone in the wild.

“I told him, ‘Buddy, you’re the toughest little two-year-old I’ve ever seen,’” Dunton recounted. The boy simply replied, “Yep.”

Buford’s heroic instincts did not go unnoticed by his owner. “He’s getting a steak dinner tonight,” Dunton said. “He did a great job.”