Elderly dog stays with lost toddler for 15 hours in woods

An elderly family dog has been made an honorary police dog in Queensland after he stayed with a missing toddler for 15 hours.

Max, who is both deaf and partially-sighted, spent the night by the side of three-year-old Aurora Bennett when she went missing in the wooded hills of her family’s rural home. Meanwhile, police and rescuers were frantically searching for the girl.

The toddler went missing at 3pm local time on Friday, says the Northern Daily Leader, and was found safe and well at 7.30am on Saturday, with Max by her side. The pair were less than two miles from home, but in difficult terrain.

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Local emergency services official Ian Phipps said: “The area around the house is quite mountainous and is very inhospitable terrain to go walking in, so [Aurora had] travelled quite a distance with her dog that was quite loyal to her.

“With the weather last night it’s quite lucky she is well because it was cold, it was cold and raining. She’s a very hardy young lass to survive that without any ill effects and everyone, all the volunteers are extremely happy.”