Heroic dog stayed with missing 3-year-old in a cornfield overnight

A small Yorkshire terrier pup ended up being a big hero to a 3-year-old girl who went missing in a local cornfield. And while we all know that family pets are loyal, this little guy went above and beyond the call of duty by staying by the little girl’s side overnight.

Little Remy Elliott wandered away from her home in Qulin, Missouri, around 8 p.m. on June 14. Her mom, Timber Merritt, tried looking for her daughter in the woods nearby.

“I looked for her by myself thinking maybe she was just in the woods or somewhere where I just couldn’t see her,” Merritt said to 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.”

It didn’t take long for friends and family to mobilize a search party. Nearly 100 people gathered to search the area to find the preschooler. But as night fell, officials decided to call off the search until morning. By 6 a.m., however, people had already renewed the search for Elliott, which expanded to include a nearby cornfield. The cornfield, however, proved to be challenging for the volunteers.

“The corn feels like razor blades cutting you, especially for a child,” said search volunteer Makayla Hardcastle. “And you don’t hear well in the corn either, so when somebody is yelling your name you can hear them but you don’t know where it is coming from.”

Fortunately, Remy’s uncle Quinlin (who drove in from Kentucky to help with the search) managed to find his niece among the tall rows of corn about a half-mile away from her house. And as relieved as he was to find the girl sleeping , he was also amazed to see the family’s dog, Fat Heath, right by her side.

Local officials posted the happy news on social media. And the little guy deserves a hero’s recognition, right?

The missing girl’s mom credits the Yorkie for keeping her daughter calm and from not wandering farther away.

“She said she wasn’t scared because Fat Heath was there,” Merritt said. “If he wasn’t I think she would’ve been terrified.”

Other than a bunch of mosquito bites and some minor dehydration, Elliott was fine after her ordeal. Mom told reporters she plans to “put a fence around the yard or keep her inside” to help prevent a repeat disappearing act by her little one.

Do you think your own pooch is capable of a similar act of heroism?