Lost Michigan Toddler Found Sleeping On Her Dog
Faithorn, Michigan is a small village, with a population of 213, situated in the Upper Peninsula, just one mile east of the Wisconsin border. There are few strangers and chances are, most of the residents probably grew up with each other.
It was around 8 PM, Wednesday evening, September 20, 2023, when the alert went out. A two-year-old girl had wandered from her home, accompanied by two family dogs, and became lost in the thick woodlands that surround the area.
A Community Bands Together
It didn’t take long for the word to go out, bringing neighbors from the community and nearby Wisconsin to scour the remote wooded area. Michigan State Troopers, from the Iron Mountain post, used drones and police dogs, and the citizens searched on foot or by ATV. As the hours dragged by, her parents' distress grew as the pitch-black darkness enveloped the woodlands.
A Remarkable Discovery
At around midnight, a citizen on an ATV was making their way through the woods, about 3 miles from the girl’s home, when they made a remarkable discovery. The young child was sleeping soundly on the ground, using her small dog as a pillow as her second dog lay close to her side, keeping her safe. Lt. Mark Giannunzio said,
It’s a really remarkable story. The girl was checked by medical staff and appeared to be in good health.
Faithful To The End
As I searched the internet for the details surrounding this story, I came across a number of stories concerning loyal dogs guarding over their lost young companions. In March of this year, a 4-year-old boy wandered away from his home in Buena Vista, New Jersey. After an hour-long search, state troopers found the young boy with his black Labrador Retriever, who never left his side.
In November of 2022, two young sisters, ages 4 and 7, wandered from their Louisiana home and were found hours later, deep in the heavy woods, snuggled in the darkness with their golden Retriever “Artemis”. He is credited for leading searchers to the location with his barks. Below are two YouTube videos on these two heartwarming rescues.