Dogs lead searchers to missing boy in China

A 3-year-old boy who went missing from his grandparents' home in Shanxi province was found safe on Saturday thanks to the help of his family's two dogs and a dedicated search effort.

The boy, Xiaolin, disappeared from the doorstep of his grandparents' residence in the village of Shilinghou while playing outside in the afternoon of Friday, according to his father surnamed Guo. His grandmother was inside the house at the time. The family's two dogs were also missing, raising further concern.

After a frantic three-hour search, the family contacted local police. Over 100 villagers joined officers and rescue teams in a large-scale search that included drones and police dogs. Despite their efforts, they found no clues to Xiaolin's whereabouts until the evening of Friday, when one of the family's dogs returned home.

The second dog followed suit the next morning, leading searchers in a new direction. Following the dog's trail, a villager assisting in the search spotted Xiaolin around noon on Saturday on a nearby mountain, roughly 4 kilometers from his grandparents' house.

The boy was found safe and unharmed, though covered in dirt. Guo expressed immense relief, stating that the area where Xiaolin was found was difficult to navigate and that one of the dogs appears to have stayed with him overnight. Medical examinations confirmed the child's good health.