Missing Toddler Led to Safety After Night Alone in Remote Wilderness: Buford ‘Just Loves Kids’

A little boy who wandered off alone in to the unforgiving Arizona wilderness is safe today following an unexpected bit of help from a four-legged rescuer.

Search teams branched out across the rugged landscape on foot looking for Boden Allen, a 2-year-old toddler who went missing on Monday.

The idea that a toddler could be alone in the middle of nowhere is terrifying to me as a father of a 2-year-old — but it gets worse!

Those searching for Boden from the air had to constantly update the ground teams about two mountain lions seen stalking them as they searched for the little boy!

Boden Allen can be seen here in an info sheet put out by the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office on Monday:

Very often these cases turn out quite differently.

But thanks to Buford the ranch dog, Boden Allen is safe at home with his family following his dangerous trek through the Arizona wilderness.

Ranch dog saves toddler lost in the cold, mountain lion-populated Arizona wilderness https://t.co/iPrE8ixqfl pic.twitter.com/CrJ67LpHqE

— New York Post (@nypost) April 16, 2025

An enormous multi-agency search effort was launched to find the missing boy, but with more than 40 searchers it was Buford who made the find, and ultimately led Boden to safety.

The ranch dog’s owners knew about the missing boy, and since the temperature at night dropped so low they were expecting the worst, according to the New York Post:

A 2-year-old boy is safe after walking about 7 miles and spending the night in mountain lion territory in northwest Arizona after he snuggled up to a very good dog who had found the boy wandering in the rugged wilderness.

His new furry hero then led him to safety in the morning.

Two-year-old Boden Allen was reported missing on Monday afternoon after he wandered away from his home near Seligman, according to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office.

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The little boy was last seen wearing just a tank top, pajama pants and Vans sneakers.

Now enters the hero of this story: Buford, a 160-pound half-Pyrenees and half-Anatolian working ranch dog.

After 16 hours of a multi-agency search with more than 40 people looking for the toddler, rancher Scotty Dunton found him early Tuesday morning walking with Buford.

“I see my dog walking down the fence with a little blonde, cute little 2-year-old kid,” Dunton told FOX Weather.

Dunton and his wife, Dawn, own and operate Dunton Ranch, a 25,000-cattle ranch in Kingman.

Dawn told Scotty that morning about the missing boy.

Both were worried since he had been reported missing the previous afternoon.

“I knew exactly who it was,” Scotty Dunton said. “I was really worried. I mean, as cold as it is at night and stuff. I really was thinking the worst.”

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The 2-year-old apparently walked a full seven miles from his home before coming to the ranch where Buford safeguarded him until help arrived.

Mason Carroll shared her report for the local CBS affiliate on her X account, and described the terrain where Boden was lost:

Investigators say a dog named Buford led a toddler to safety after he walked miles away from his home overnight outside of Seligman:https://t.co/y4GfP2P450 pic.twitter.com/kwPgtRSg6l

— Mason Carroll (@MasonCCarroll) April 16, 2025

Scotty Dunton, who owns the ranch where Boden showed up with Buford, said he couldn’t believe the boy made it the seven miles from his home to their ranch.

But there was no doubt, according to Dunton, why Buford would have helped the boy — because he ‘just loves kids’, as USA Today reported:

Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call April 14 reporting a missing 2-year-old boy, the sheriff’s office said in a post on Facebook.

But the boy wasn’t found alone: he was with the rancher’s dog named Buford, a 5-year-old Great Pyrenees/Anatolian mix.

In a video posted by the sheriff’s office, the rancher, Scotty Dunton, said he had heard about the missing toddler and was headed to town when he spotted him.

“When I was driving out the driveway, I noticed my dog was sitting down by the entrance,” said Dunton, who owns Dunton Ranch in Kingman. “I look up and the little kid’s standing there with my dog.”

“I can’t believe that kid made it that far,” he added.

The sheriff’s office said that during the overnight search, “DPS ranger rescue helicopter said they spotted 2 mountain lions among the terrain the boy traveled.”

Dunton’s wife Dawn told USA TODAY over email that she wasn’t home at the time of the rescue, but the “child was in fairly good condition all things considered.”

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“He was crying but Scotty was able to comfort him. His little face was all dirty and of course he was hungry and thirsty,” Dawn said. “He is doing well now after some much needed rest in the safety of his home.”

Dunton said he believes the toddler reached the ranch by following a road right next to a power line before their dog Buford found the boy.

Buford “loves kids, so I can imagine he wouldn’t leave him when he found him,” Dunton said.

They might be known as “man’s” best friend, but Buford the ranch dog is definitely Boden Allen’s best friend now!

Check out this clip shared by the local ABC affiliate on their X account, which shows Buford along with Scotty Dunton’s description of the moment he took Boden home to his mother:

Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office says a 2-year-old boy from Seligman, Arizona, has been found safe after he was reported missing on Monday. pic.twitter.com/fbvyC0WRPY

— ABC15 Arizona (@abc15) April 16, 2025

Too often we have to cover stories that end in tragedy, with horrible consequences for those left behind.

Those are the worst stories to write, and the hardest to get through.

But here’s a good reminder that not every story ends in heartbreak and loss.

Some stories that start out scary — particularly when a good farm dog is involved — have a way of ending miraculously, with nothing but a good story to tell.

And thanks to God in heaven for looking out for lost little boys, and their frightened parents.