Autistic Toddler Who Went Missing Found Safe With Family Dogs

When we see reports of missing children on the news or read them in our morning newspapers, we feel a twisting feeling in our gut. Imagining what a family must go through when their child is nowhere to be seen must be one of the most awful feelings in the world.

Our human nature is to imagine the worst-case scenario, and this leads to sleepless nights and anxiety-filled days. This nightmare became a reality for the Butler family living in Ponce de Leon, Florida.

Part of the Butler family is their 3-year old child, Marshal. This little toddler is a non-communicative autistic boy, meaning he does not communicate verbally or by any other means. One afternoon, the Butlers were at their home when little Marshal wandered off outside. When the family noticed, they immediately started looking for him and alerted neighbors and authorities.

The gut-wrenching feeling had come true and the family could not find him anywhere. A few hours later, authorities found the little boy a few miles from their home. He was near a river, but unharmed. The amazing thing was that the family dogs were surrounding him and guarding him. These two four-legged family members, Buckwheat and Nala, had made sure he stayed unharmed.

Walton County Sherrif

It is almost as if they could sense his disabilities were preventing him from finding his way home. If it was not for these two loyal dogs, who knows what may have happened to little Marshal. As scary as this story is, it is also a reminder of how loyal and absolutely irreplaceable our canine companions truly are!

Feature Image Source: Pixabay