Family Dog’s Scent Helps Deputies Find Missing Toddler

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A little boy is safely back with his family after scaring the daylights out of them. The two-year-old managed to open the front door at home on M-43 in Waverly Township and get out with the family’s year-old pit bull mix tagging along. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department says having the dog with him is what helped them find the two after a massive search. One thing that was working against them was there was a two-hour gap from the time the boy had last been seen to when his mother realized he was gone. Sheriff’s department K-9 teams were called out and after footprints from the two were found, the police dogs were able to locate them about two miles from home. The child was fine other than having a lot of bug bites. No charges are expected, but the sheriff will submit reports to the prosecutor’s office and Child Protective Services.