Puppy Hailed as Hero
Aug 2006
By Holly Sherburne
Child and dog forge unique bond
Madison, a 5-month-old Labrador/Pit Bull/Sharpei mix, is being credited with saving a little girl’s life after staying by her side overnight when the two became lost in the woods.
Two-year-old Katie Grant of Sanford and Madison first met at a family gathering in Warren during the Fourth of July weekend. Melissa Grant, Katie’s aunt, owns Madison and said the dog and girl immediately became fast friends. “Katie loves animals and after 10 or 15 minutes together, they just connected. It was like they spoke the same language to each other.” The unique bond they forged may have saved Katie’s life.
During an afternoon barbeque in Grant’s backyard, Katie and Madison disappeared along with an adult dog belonging to Katie’s family. The family didn’t think Katie could get very far in the thick brush and woods behind the house, especially without wearing shoes. But after searching for an hour without any luck, they called the local law enforcement office.
The search for Katie continued that evening and into the morning hours. In addition to the local police, the Maine Warden Service, rescue dogs and approximately 100 volunteers joined the search. When Katie’s dog returned to the house, the family became more worried because the dog was wet. This raised concerns that Katie might have gone into the water.
The next morning, neighbors Tom and Alice Schultz and Irene Maxcy, all of Warren, joined the search. The Schultz’s property abuts the area where Katie was last seen and Tom Schultz knows it well. After searching for only a short time, Schultz spotted Katie and Madison when the puppy raised her head at the sound of the approaching searchers. The two were curled up side-by-side, sleeping next to a rock. Madison had stayed with Katie throughout the night.
Alice Schultz said that when her party started their search, they thought they would find Katie, but not the puppy. “It’s amazing to me that the puppy stayed. The dog is a hero,” said Schultz. She thinks the puppy kept the girl warm during the night. Katie was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt and she had bare legs and feet. After being missing for 12 hours, Katie was just fine, except for some minor scratches and bug bites.
Grant surmises that the adult dog wandered into the woods and that the puppy and Katie followed. She thinks it is amazing that the child’s own dog would leave her, yet the puppy she just met stayed with her for the night. She agrees that her dog is a hero. In fact, Madison is the only puppy she kept of the three litters her other dog has had. She said she “just clicked” with the puppy right away. Grant adds, “It must have been God’s plan that she was the one to keep—because she’d be needed and have a purpose.”
