calfoxwc Posted December 8, 2008 Report Share Posted December 8, 2008 Puppies save three-year-old boy lost in freezing Virginia woods BY JANE H. FURSE DAILY NEWS WRITER Monday, December 8th 2008, 9:35 AM Jaylynn Thorpe, 3, with his family. The two hero puppies who saved Jaylynn's life. A toddler lost in the Virginia woods was back home safe Sunday thanks to two puppies who kept him warm through a harrowing night of freezing temperatures. Jaylynn Thorpe, 3, wandered away from his baby-sitter at 4 p.m. Friday and was missing for 21 hours as hundreds of friends, family and law enforcement officials searched for him in the thick woods of Halifax County, fearing the worst. "The only thing we wanted to do was just keep searching until we found him," Halifax County Sheriff Stanley Noblin told reporters. Jaylynn's frantic family knew time was not on its side. "We didn't forget the issue that 17 degrees was almost unbearable," said his father, James Thorpe. "People all over the State of Virginia was down there looking for that child. For a while there, one time, I didn't know whether they would find him or not," said the child's grandmother and guardian, Katherine Elliot. Officials said the lost little boy and the two family puppies wandered up to a mile in the dark, even across a highway, but it wasn't until Saturday afternoon that members of the search team found him sitting by a tree, the two puppies nestled against him. The little boy didn't say anything, according to rescue team member Jerry Gentry, but instead "just opened his arms up like, 'I'm ready to go.'" "When I first saw him, he was like, 'Momma, I got cold. I slept in the woods last night. The puppies kept me warm.' He told me that ... the dogs slept up against him. And I'm sure the body heat kept him warm," said his mother, Sarah Ingram. Billie Jo Roach, another member of the search party that found the boy, said the puppies refused to leave his side. As the child was placed in an ambulance to be taken to a local hospital for examination, "The puppies were watching where he went. "Where he went, they went," Roach said. As word went out that the child was alive and well, family members cheered and cried for joy. "Praise the Lord! Welcome home, Jaylynn!" yelled his aunt, Amy Zimmerman. Close to 300 people from North Carolina and Virginia joined in the search to find Jaylynn. "I love you! God bless you," Ingram told the rescue teams. "I think I just said, 'Thank you Lord' ... for us to have another chance!" said the child's father. The boy spent Saturday night under observation at Halifax Regional Hospital and chowed down on a double cheeseburger, a hot dog, strawberry ice cream and French fries. Meanwhile, the furry heroes, their tails wagging, were rewarded with food. "I definitely call this a miracle," said Noblin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted December 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2008 To this day, from many years ago, I still have a clipping where a young boy about 5/6 wandered off from his family's campsite, but was found and rescued in rocky pit area he tumbled into. It was a rattlesnake den. Their family dog, a Golden Retriever, fought the rattlers away from the boy, and was bitten several times. The pup survived, luckily the family got him to a vet. The link between people and pups is a very special bond that I don't believe exists anywhere else in nature. A very special bond of the deepest love, devotion that never ends. God bless all the pups out there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicopee John Posted December 9, 2008 Report Share Posted December 9, 2008 Every so often you hear stories like this and it really makes you wonder. Dogs are very smart and they are man's best friend, for sure. Unfortunately we had to put down our 10 year old German Shorthair Pointer due to kidney failure triggered by Lyme Disease. To this day, our 5 year old Weimaraner refuses to drink out of 'Snickers'' water bowl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted December 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2008 Sorry you had that happen, John. There are plenty of stories about things like this. One time this summer, the door to the garage had not latched in the middle of the day, and had blown open while I was working on the computer in our computer room. And, the garage door was up. I didn't know it, until I went for another glass of root beer. As I went to the kitchen, I saw the door open, and the garage door up, wind blowing. Our 85 lb Old English Sheepdog/Airdale pup, was right at the edge of the doorway into the garage, and was gently shoving our cat away from the edge with his head and his paw, back further into the house, away from the garage. He roadblocked her from getting out into the garage.... About three years ago, I had him out on the front porch on a 6' leash, one second after going out the door, and the next second a bird flew into the yard, and I was flying like superman because he lunged to bark at it, and ran off the porch. I ended up spraining my knee pretty bad, and layed there in the snow. He was licking me on the forehead, and layed along my head and chest, until a lady drove by, and stopped, and went to help me get back into the house. Well, all of a sudden he jumps up and wouldn't let her near me, growling and meaning business, like I had never seen him before. Until I petted him and told him it was okay. Then, he was fine. And a neighbor came out laughing, saying she was watching and couldn't believe what she was seeing . Yeah, there's a wonderful deep loving friendship with pups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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