10/27/2026
On April 14, 2025, 2 year old Boden Allen slipped out of his family’s home in Seligman, Arizona, while his mom was changing his sibling’s diaper. Within minutes, he was gone, wearing nothing but a tank top and pajama pants.
More than 40 searchers combed the rugged high desert through the night. A helicopter spotted two mountain lions in the area. Sixteen long hours passed with no sign of him.
Nearly seven miles away, Buford, a 6 year old Anatolian Pyrenees, was making his nightly rounds on Scotty Dunton’s ranch, guarding against coyotes. Somewhere out there, he found the little boy and stayed with him, escorting him at least a mile.
The next morning, Scotty pulled down his driveway and saw Buford sitting at the entrance with the child beside him .Boden had slept under a tree. He was scared and thirsty, but alive and safe.
Buford earned a 2 pound rib eye and an honorary Search and Rescue vest from the sheriff’s office.
As Boden’s father put it , “God sent that dog to rescue my son.”
