Dog Stays With 3-Year-Old Lost In Bush Overnight

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An elderly dog has been hailed as a hero after he stayed with a 3-year-old girl all night while she was lost in the bush.

Max, a 17-year-old Blue Heeler (a type of Australian Cattle Dog), stuck by the side of little Aurora until she was found by rescuers.

She disappeared in bushland in Queensland at about 3pm before being found again at 8am the following morning.

She was found safe and well with Max by her side looking after her.

Max was such a good boy that he has been made an honorary police dog by Queensland police.

They tweeted: “SUCH A GOOD BOY, MAX! He stayed with his three-year-old human who was lost near Warwick last night while we frantically searched for her. For keeping her safe, you’re now an honorary police dog.”

SUCH A GOOD BOY, MAX! He stayed with his 3-year-old human who was lost near Warwick last night while we frantically searched for her. For keeping her safe, you’re now an honorary police dog. :dog:https://t.co/QiszGFP4gg via @ABCNews pic.twitter.com/xxRc6ndeaK
– Queensland Police (@QldPolice) April 21, 2018

But it couldn’t have been easy for him either. Max apparently can’t see or hear so well these days, making what he did even more impressive.

100’s of people joined the search to find the missing girl, but they found Max first and he helped them find her in the end.

Kelly Benston, Aurora’s grandmother’s partner said: “She found the dog first. Max led her to Aurora.

“Max is 17 years old, deaf and partially blind.”

The area controller for the State Emergency Service, Ian Phipps – the organisation that arranged the search – said that they eventually found Aurora and Max about 2 kilometres from the house she had wandered off from, but still on family property in Cherry Gulch, near Warwick, Queensland.

He said: “The area around the house is quite mountainous and is very inhospitable terrain to go walking in, so she’d travelled quite a distance with her dog that was quite loyal to her.

“The search was actually quite hard where the volunteers and the police were, amongst the very steep slopes full of lantana and other vegetation.”

Aurora’s grandmother, Leisa Bennett, spoke about her emotional reunion with her lost grandchild.

She said: “When I heard her yell ‘Grammy’ I knew it was her,

“I shot up the mountain and when I got to the top, the dog came to me and led me straight to her. 

“I think [Aurora] was a bit overwhelmed by the tears and the howling, but I explained to her how happy those tears were,

“It could have gone any of 100 ways, but she’s here, she’s alive, she’s well and it’s a great outcome for our family.”

Mr Phipps said that Aurora was doing fine, despite a few minor cuts and abrasions. It could have been so different though, had Max not stuck with her.