Two stray dogs that kept a mentally disabled boy warm while he was lost in the woods for three bone-chilling days are "angels from heaven" and have found a home with the child's family, his mother said Monday.
"They're mangy mutts, but the Lord turned them into angels, and they saved my son," the boy's mother, Johnnie Coffey, said Monday. "They're truly angels from heaven. They fell in love with my son during those days."Ten-year-old Josh Carlisle, who has Down syndrome, was rescued after 70 hours Saturday in a dry creek bed by a searcher on horseback. The dogs, a dachshund and a blue heeler, had apparently cuddled with Josh as they braved temperatures that hovered near 2 degrees.
"Those dogs took care of him like a mama would, playing with him, lying on him to keep him warm," said Barry County Sheriff Ralph Hendrix. "It's a miracle, but dogs have the smarts to do it."
Josh, who became lost Wednesday evening after wandering from his back yard, suffered frostbite on all 10 toes. Some toes may need to be amputated, but doctors watched his progress Monday at Cox Medical Center South in Springfield.
He may not lose any toes if the blood circulation returns.
Hundreds of searchers converged on Cassville, about 270 miles southwest of St. Louis, to help comb the Ozark mountains surrounding Josh's home. For three days and nights, search teams went into caves, up and down bluffs, and prepared for the worst. They fanned out over 18 square miles.
Oscar "Junior" Nell, a 49-year-old sawdust salesman from Springfield, rode on one of 12 horses in the search party. Nell was lost himself in thick woods Saturday afternoon when he heard the dogs barking and drew closer.
"They kept running and barking, I guess to get my attention," said Nell. "Josh was lying face down, and he looked like someone's Halloween scarecrow they'd discarded. When I saw his face, I knew it was him."
Nell got off his horse and knelt beside the boy, who was motionless. The blue heeler growled at Nell as if to protect the boy.
"I said, `Josh, Josh?"' Nell recalls. "His eyes flickered, and he got this little bitty grin on his face. I said, `Do you want to go home?' and he said, `Uh huh."'
The spot was about 1-1/2 miles from Josh's home. Josh was so cold, he could barely budge. His throat was swollen, and his lips were severely chapped. His face was bright red. He had scratches on his hands from clawing through woods thick with briar patches.
Nell offered him his last bologna sandwich, but Josh lacked the saliva to swallow even one bite.
Authorities say Josh hadn't eaten while he was lost. But he wasn't fully dehydrated. "Those dogs must have led him to drinking water," Nell said.
As Nell carried Josh on horseback to the ambulance, the dachshund followed. And when Josh was in the ambulance, the dog briefly chased it.
"I'll never forget that dog's face," said rescuer Dana Kammerlohr. "He kept jumping up, trying to see in the car window, and his face was like, `I want to go with you."'
The two strays apparently had wandered into his yard, and he followed them into the woods. His mother was fixing soup for dinner and did not see him wander off. He was wearing only a light jacket, sweat pants and cowboy boots. The first night the boy was lost, a light snow blanketed the ground.
Josh is the youngest of seven children. The family already had three dogs.
When his parents announced they wanted to adopt the stray dogs, the town launched an all-out search for the strays. Both were found by Monday afternoon.
A local veterinarian cleaned up the pair and gave them shots. Plenty of donations are pouring in to cover any costs, and the money will be donated to Josh's family.
Right now, the town is readying itself for Josh's homecoming party. The dachshund, whom Josh has dubbed Baby, is being sized up to be wrapped in a big red bow.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)