Deaf, half-blind dog protects girl, 3, lost overnight in bush
A deaf and partly blind dog has become Australia’s hero of the moment after it kept a lost toddler safe overnight in Queensland’s bush.
Emergency services began a search on foot and from the air for a missing threeyear-old girl on Friday after she had wandered away from her rural home at about 3pm.
The 17-year-old dog, an Australian cattle dog named Max, stayed with the child, who was identified only as Aurora, through a rainy night before leading family and rescuers to her yesterday morning after more than 15 hours in the wild.
“Leisa [the child’s grandmother] heard Aurora’s voice, found Max first, and then Max led her to Aurora,” Leisa’s partner, Kelly Benston, said,
She added that the dog was partly blind and deaf.
Police were quick to make the hero pooch one of their own.
“Such a good boy, Max!” Queensland police posted on Facebook.
“For keeping her safe until she was found, you’re now an honorary police dog!” police posted alongside a picture of the family pet.
To the relief of her family, Aurora was in good health, rescuers said, suffering just minor scratches. She was found about 2km from the family home.
“The area around the house is quite mountainous and is very inhospitable terrain to go walking in,” emergency services worker Ian Phipps told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“So she’d travelled quite a distance with her dog,” he said.