The parents of a 2-year-old boy who spent a night alone in the Arizona wilderness and was led to safety by a local rancher’s dog are calling the ordeal "a miracle."
Bowden Allen disappeared from his home in Seligman at around 5 p.m. Monday. His father, Cory Allen, was working on the home's roof, while his mother, Sarah Allen, was caring for their 1-year-old, NBC affiliate KPNX reported.
Sarah said that she heard her older child walk out of the home but that when she called for him, he didn't answer, triggering a panicked search.
"It started — getting more intense every minute," Cory said about the search for his son.
The couple called in family members for help and eventually contacted the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, kicking off a search effort comprising more than 40 rescuers and a Department of Public Safety helicopter that spotted two mountain lions in the area.
But as the sun set, there was still no sign of Bowden.
"I didn't even know how to process," Sarah said. "I looked at his empty bed in the middle of the night, and I’m like this isn’t real, he's not — how is he not here? How is he out by himself somewhere in the dark?"
Rancher Scotty Dunton said that around 16 hours later, he found Bowden on his land after his dog, Buford, led him there. Dunton's property is 7 miles away from the toddler's home.
Dunton said Buford, an Anatolian Pyrenees, found Bowden sleeping under a tree, KPNX reported. He was found with a few scratches on his arm.
"I feel like God sent that dog to rescue my son," Cory told the outlet about Buford.
Sarah called the ordeal "a miracle."
"It's unreal and it's unbelievable," she said.
