PORTLAND, Ore. — On Tuesday night, 5-year-old Salix Heisinger walked off his family's Washington County property and into the woods.
“I was pretty scared," Heisinger said.
His family, the Washington County Sheriff's Office and Search and Rescue began combing the area. The family later realized their dog, Rue Bear, was also missing.
"It was a very helpless time to feel like I couldn’t go out and find him," said Katrina Dallas, the boy's mother.
Heisinger said he decided to sit down in some brush with Rue Bear and wait for help. In the end, it was the dog that helped Search and Rescue find the little boy.
“They heard Rue Bear and Salix yelling for help," Dallas said.
Washington County Search and Rescue said it would have been a much more difficult rescue without the dog's help.
“She barked until they found Salix and then she went home like, 'My job here is done,'" said Dallas.
Now, Heisinger is home safe with only a scratch to remind him of the journey.
“When he got back and was sitting in the back of the ambulance, that dog was right there," she said.
While Dallas is grateful for the young Australian Shepard, she's keeping a close eye on her adventurous son.
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