Every parent’s worst nightmare is for their child to go missing. Marshal Butler from Ponce de Leon, Florida is a toddler who also happens to be autistic.On June 3, 2020, Wednesday morning, Marshal went missing alongside their pet dogs. This made his whole family worry about him big time.

Marshal’s aunt, Kayla Stewart, said they were all worried and were thinking about “all sorts of worst-case scenarios.” So the neighbors and the police jumped in to help look for the toddler!

Just within the day, a neighbor named Carol Shelton found the toddler approximately a mile from his house. Carol said, “His dogs were right there with him. We’re thankful that the pups kind of guided him along. I guess they kept him safe.”

“I feel like they probably knew to stay with him when they noticed he was alone,” says Corey Webster of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. Their instincts took over. They stayed with the boy until he was found and kept an eye on him.”

In Marshal’s story, there are so many things that could have gone wrong. This demonstrates the importance of dogs in people’s life. They are not only cuddly, fluffy best friends who bring joy and love, but they also serve as excellent protectors. “I feel like they probably knew to stay with him when they noticed he was alone,” says Corey Webster of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. Their instincts took over. They stayed with the youngster and kept an eye on him.

Marshal’s family was proud of how well their pets handled the situation and kept Marshal safe. “They’re doing their job,” said Marshal’s mom.Watch the story from Walton County Sheriff’s Office in the video below.