A missing 3-year-old special needs boy was found safe in rural Bixby, Oklahoma after he wandered from home. Triston Charles was found in large part because of the family's German Shepherd mix dog, Scout, stayed by his side the entire time.

His mother woke at 6 a.m. and Triston was sleeping next to her. When she woke again at 9:30, she found the back door of the home open and Triston and Scout were gone. Police believe the boy simply woke up and decided to go for a walk with the dog, and the dog followed after the boy.

Bixby Police were called in to search for the boy. Search dogs couldn't find their trail and the search proved challenging because the terrain around the home was densely wooded with rocky hills and creeks. It was a local man on horseback who joined in the search that eventually found Triston and Scout four hours after they went missing. He located them around a half mile away down a ravine. His horse was alerted to the dog and the dog lead him to the boy.

As Triston can hear but cannot speak, it was incredibly fortunate Scout was with him, as the dog's barking was what caught the attention of the horse.

Triston's father credits Scout for leading rescuers to Triston. "He's really kind of the hero in this story," said Triston's father, Mike Charles. "Because he stayed with Triston the whole time. The dog actually led the guy on the horse to the child. So that was pretty amazing. And we are just very grateful."

Triston suffered a few scratches on his legs from the thick brush and had several ticks on him. But other than that, he is all right. Triston will celebrate his fourth birthday next week.

via News on 6

• German Shepherd
• missing
• heroic dog
• Bixby
• Oklahoma