The boy was missing for hours.
A Minnesota toddler is alive and well thanks to the family dog.
The 2-year-old boy disappeared from his home near Richmond around 6:15 p.m. while playing outside with his siblings on Thursday, reports said.
When his grandmother went to check on the kids, the boy was gone, the Star Tribune reported.
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The family searched for him for 30 minutes before calling police, the paper said.
Minnesota State Police used a helicopter equipped with an infrared camera and two K-9s to search for the boy. But, it was the family dog that saved the day.
Searchers heard barking "at one point, then it stopped barking,” said Sheriff’s Lt. Vic Weiss.
Eventually, the dog was spotted by searchers in the helicopter. The 2-year-old was in a cornfield near his home, police said.
“The dog was in preservation-and-protection mode,” Weiss told the Star Tribune.
Read: Missing Toddler With Autism Found With Family Dog, Mom Arrested for Neglect
The dog reportedly stayed with the toddler until help came.
The boy went missing for three hours and was not hurt, police said.
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