Hero Dog Waits With Missing 3-Year-Old Overnight Until Help Arrives
It was scary for the family of Remy Elliott when the 3-year-old disappeared Thursday near her home in Qulin, Missouri. Police, as well as volunteers, combed the cornfield near the little girl’s home for nearly 12 hours, reported CBS News. When they found her Friday morning, they found her Yorkshire terrier, Fat Heath, right by her side, proving that dogs are not only man’s best friend but also a little girl’s. It was a nightmare for Remy’s mom, Timber Merritt.
“I looked for her by myself thinking maybe she was just in the woods or somewhere where I just couldn’t see her,” Merritt told KFVS. “And I was calling for her and calling for her, and when she wasn’t calling back I realized, ‘I don’t think I’m going to find her on my own.'”
She realized she needed help and called the police as well as friends and family, with the makeshift search party growing to around 100 members and included two helicopters.
“We were all just walking back and forth from one end to the other just yelling her name. All the flashlights started dying and the sheriff’s office decided to call if for the night,” shared family friend John Copp to CBS News, who was one of the first to join in on the search.
This is what #Community looks like. Law enforcement, 1st Responders and community volunteers coming together to find a missing child. Her dog stayed by her side all night. #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/aIDMtG6JTW
— MSHP Troop E (@MSHPTrooperE) June 15, 2018
The search was very emotional as everyone refused to give up, walking back and forth calling out the toddler’s name. While the sheriff called off the search for the night, things resumed the next morning around 6 a.m. on Friday. Searching the cornfield had the added difficulty of it being hard to hear through the corn. According to KFVS, Merritt’s brother, Quinlin, drove from western Kentucky to help in the search for his niece and was the one who eventually found Remy. When he found her, the toddler wasn’t alone, her trusty dog was right there beside her when they were spotted in the field. They were found about half a mile away from the house.
“They said that she was asleep when he picked her up,” Merritt said to KFVS. “She was definitely exhausted, hot, really sweaty and it took a while to drink anything.”
Having her beloved dog with her helped the little girl be brave.
“She said she wasn’t scared because Fat Heath was there. If he wasn’t I think she would’ve been terrified,” Merritt said.
The youngster was back to her normal self after she was medically cleared at Black River Medical Center in Poplar Bluff. All in all, she was extremely lucky, only suffering from mosquito bites.
