Toddler is missing for 15 hours – her deaf-blind dog leads family directly to the right spot

Everyone knows that a hero can come in many forms, and rarely do they wear a cape. Some of the best of heroes aren’t even human at all, and instead of costumes they come covered in fur with an adorable dog face.

If you’ve ever owned a dog then you don’t need to be convinced about how amazing they are. You’ll never find a more loving or devoted companion. Not only man’s best friend; they have been proving for a long time now that they’re a friend to all.

Max is one dog that falls straight into this category.

A 17-year-old Blue Heeler mix, Max is already 2 years past his average life expectancy. The sweet senior dog also happens to be deaf and mostly blind, but he didn’t let that stop him from saving his tiny human, Aurora.

Facebook/Kelly Benston Source: Facebook/Kelly Benston

Aurora is a 3-year-old little girl living in rural Queensland, Australia. One evening, the toddler decided to go wandering off into the infamous Australian Bushland. What’s worse, she was wearing nothing more than a thin T-shirt and some lightweight pants for clothing. Within a short amount of time, Aurora was completely lost.

Fortunately for the little girl, her loyal dog had quietly followed her into the bush.

The moment that her family realized she was nowhere to be found, they organized a large search party. Every member of their community wanted to participate. From neighbors to the local police force, all came together to find the missing 3-year-old.

Youtube screenshot Source: Youtube screenshot

A force of over a hundred people rallied together for a search party, but with every hour that passed they grew more and more worried. The weather wasn’t cooperating with them, as the cold rain and wind made search efforts even more difficult.

The search continued well into the night, lasting over 15 hours.

Among the people searching was Leisa Bennett, Aurora’s grandma. As she wandered her way through the Bushland in the dark her ears twitched. She thought she could hear her granddaughter calling out, and she raced to follow it.

“I shot up the mountain, and when I got to the top, the dog came to me and led me straight to her,” recalls the grandmother to a local news station.

Twitter Source: Twitter

Max led a group from the search party up a steep incline all the way to the top of a hill. There they found sweet, scared little Aurora. She was cold and tired, but she was alive and healthy.

“With the weather last night it’s quite lucky she is well because it was … cold and raining. She’s a very hardy young lass to survive that without any ill effects and everyone, all the volunteers, are extremely happy,” said SES are controller, Ian Phipps, to ABC News.

Max may be old, deaf, and mostly blind, but the senior dog made sure to stay right by his human’s side throughout the entire night. It was only 55 degrees, but Max cuddled up with Aurora to keep her warm and safe, to say nothing of his finding rescuers and leading them back to her.

“He never left her sight. She smelled of dog, she slept with the dog,” Aurora’s grandma explained.

Australian Broadcasting Source: Australian Broadcasting

The community was so grateful to Max for protecting Aurora that they decided to make him an Honorary Queensland Police Dog.

The local police department posted photos of Max to their public Twitter page with an announcement that sung his praises:

“SUCH A GOOD BOY, MAX! He stayed with his 3-year-old human who was lost near Warwick last night while we frantically searched for her. For keeping her safe, you’re now an honorary police dog.”

We cannot agree with their sentiment more! Max is the true definition of a hero, and he’s proven that no matter what your species or your age is, you can always save the day.

To learn more about this incredible story, watch the short news clip below.

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Source: Animal Channel

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