Hero Pit Bull Protects Young Lost Owner Until the Child Is Found by Police: 'Give That Dog a Bone'

A loyal pit bull is being hailed a hero for protecting his lost owner until rescuers showed up.

Buddy the dog stood on guard and helped police locate a missing 3-year-old boy who had wandered off into the woods on Tuesday, according to the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities were first made aware of the boy’s disappearance when his frantic mother called 911 and reported that the child, who had been playing outside with his siblings, was missing along with the family dog, according to a Facebook post from the police department.

Officers and a K9 unit from Suwannee Correctional Institution then began searching for the missing boy until they received a call from a neighbor that the child had been found, though Buddy the dog was being very protective and wouldn’t let strangers near his human companion.

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In bodycam footage obtained by WCTV Eyewitness News, Buddy can be seen leading deputies to the missing boy when they arrive on scene.

“It was such a good ending to something that could have been tragic,” Sheriff Sam St. John told the local news outlet. “We’re all the time putting out tragic news. I’m telling you, it feels so good, so good to tell a good story.”

Police said the family is doing well and that the child was not hurt in the ordeal.

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“Fortunately, we were able to reunite the child with his mother, thanks in part to ‘man’s best friend’ and an alert neighbor,” the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office wrote on social media, along with the hashtags “give that dog a bone,” “man’s best friend” and “Lassie ain’t got nothing on Buddy.”