Soldier of Fortune Magazine The Journal of Professional Adventurers
by Bobby Dee
“Buford was just sitting there with the little kid. Just brought him up from the horse pasture and brought him over to the gate and was just hanging out with him.”
A two-year-old boy who vanished from his home Monday afternoon was found safe the following morning after spending more than 16 hours alone in the rugged Arizona wilderness — thanks to a watchful ranch dog named Buford.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) launched an extensive search after little Boden Allen was reported missing. As dusk fell and temperatures plummeted, concern mounted. Deputies, Department of Public Safety troopers, and more than 40 volunteers scoured the surrounding terrain late into the night.
Searchers faced grim conditions.
“Temperatures dropped significantly, and predators were active,” said Megan Fitzgerald, YCSO’s public affairs and government relations director. “There were even two mountain lions spotted during the search last night.”
But just after 8 a.m. Tuesday morning, the search came to an unexpected and heartwarming conclusion. Seven miles from Boden’s home, rancher Scotty Dunton was driving down his property’s driveway when he spotted an unlikely pair at the gate: his dog Buford and a small, dirt-smudged boy.
“Buford was just sitting there with the little kid,” Dunton told Arizona’s Family. “Just brought him up from the horse pasture and brought him over to the gate and was just hanging out with him.”
Dunton believes the toddler may have followed the powerlines that stretch from his family’s home to the ranch.
When asked if he had walked all night, Boden calmly responded, “No, I slept under a tree.”
Then, with the simple certainty only a child can muster, he confirmed: “Yep,” when Dunton asked if Buford had found him.
Boden told the story to the Sheriff’s Office.
“Oh, he’s getting steak dinner tonight,” Dunton said with a grin. “He did a great job.”
READ MORE from Bobby Dee: Death in the Desert: A Texas Cowboy’s Gruesome Encounter
Buford, meanwhile, has taken the attention in stride. But Dunton is giving him a prime reward.
Bobby Dee is a cowboy in Texas. He follows ranching news closely.
