Family dog in 'protection mode' helps patrol chopper find toddler in MNcornfield

Source: Star Tribute | October 10, 2017 | Paul Walsh

Family dog in ‘protection mode’ helps patrol chopper find toddler in Minnesota cornfield

Helicopter’s heat-seeking device picked up the dog’s movements, steering searchers to the boy.

A family dog in “protection mode” near a missing 2-year-old boy caught the attention of a State Patrol aircraft’s heat-seeking device and allowed searchers in central Minnesota to locate the child in the dark, authorities said.

The son of Kaitlyn Bottem was outside his home northwest of Richmond playing with siblings and wandered off about 6:15 p.m., according to the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office.

The grandmother came out to check on the kids and couldn’t locate the boy, the Sheriff’s Office added. Authorities were notified after the family’s 30-minute search failed to find him and darkness was closing in.

Sheriff’s deputies were joined in the search by fire and rescue crew members, two law enforcement bloodhounds and the patrol helicopter.

Searchers “heard the dog barking at one point [before the boy was located], then it stopped barking,” said Sheriff’s Lt. Vic Weiss.

The helicopter picked up “a heat signature” below in a cornfield nearby, which turned out to be not only the boy but the family’s dog, Weiss added.

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