As rescuers searched relentlessly for a lost boy with autism, two dogs kept 3-year-old Marshal Butler safe. Thank God for these fur angels!
When Marshal Butler went missing, his parents were understandably terrified. Somehow, the 3-year-old wandered off in nothing but a diaper in Ponce De Leon, Florida.
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Thankfully, however, he wasn't alone!
A missing child is every parent's worst nightmare. But the fact that Marshal was a lost boy with autism who was non-verbal only intensified the fear.
“We were panicked,” explained the boy's aunt, Kayla Stewart. “All sorts of worst-case scenarios are running through their heads. Through the whole process you’re terrified.”
Local authorities banded together and launched a huge search. They even called in the K-9 unit and shared information on social media. Everyone just wanted to get Marshal Butler home to his grief-stricken parents as quickly as possible.
Thankfully, after a few hours of searching, a neighbor named Carol Shelton spotted the lost boy with autism. And what she saw was just heartwarming!
The family's dogs, Buckwheat and Nala, surrounded and protected the little boy the whole time.
"Both of his dogs were right there with him," Carol recalled. "[We’re] thankful that the pups kind of guided him along I guess they kept him safe," said a neighbor."
"They're doing their job," said Marshal's grateful and relieved mom.
Marshal returned home from his "adventure" covered in dirt but completely unharmed. And considering one of the boy's favorite things to do is play in the dirt, the mess didn't surprise his family.
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Thank God for sending Marshal the protection he needed through these furry angels!
h/t: Tank's Good News
Featured Image: Facebook/Walton County Sheriff
Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!