Dog protects missing boy, 3-year-old Carson Urness, family says

CHICAGO (WLS) -- North Dakota toddler Carson Urness got lost out in the cold. But his family's dog, Cooper, managed to find him and bring the three-year-old back home.

When Carson didn't come inside for dinner from playing in the farmyard with Cooper, the boy's worried parents searched for him, to no avail.

After Courtney and Brock Urness called 911, police officers, a search plane, a search dog and more than 200 volunteers showed up to help locate Carson.

His parents noticed their pet was also missing, and hoped to find their son with Cooper. When Carson was found safe about a mile away in the early morning hours, the farm dog was lying right on top of him.

Carson told his parents that Cooper laid on him and kept him warm until help came.

Cooper was rescued by the Urness family as a puppy. They found him abandoned on a road and saved him. Now, he was able to do the same for his young friend.