Golden retriever helps rescue missing toddler​on April 3, 2025 at 5:30 pm

Brad Schofro was laser-focused on his computer screen when he suddenly heard his dog barking loudly through his headphones.

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“She just started absolutely losing her mind,” said Schofro, 27, who lives in Lebanon, Tennessee. “She started barking like crazy, borderline screaming.”

Zoie – a 3-year-old golden retriever – was standing by a window facing Schofro’s front lawn, clearly troubled by something outside. This behavior, Schofro said, was unusual for her.

“Zoie never barks at anything,” he said. “My first thought was, ‘Is someone trying to rob my house?’”

Concerned, Schofro rushed to the window where Zoie stood. He immediately understood why the dog was frantic.

“I saw what looked to be a 3-year-old boy walking on the driveway of our next-door neighbor,” Schofro said.

The small child was alone. It was midafternoon on March 17.

Schofro ran outside and alerted his neighbor.

“I went to talk to him to make sure it wasn’t one of his kids or a kid he knew,” he said.

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Schofro and the neighbor tried asking the toddler who he was and what he was doing there, but that didn’t work.

“He just kind of shrugged, never said a word,” Schofro said, adding that the boy gestured to a house across the street.

They stopped by that house with the toddler, but no one recognized him. Those neighbors then joined the search for the child’s caregivers, going door-to-door.

“We were doing everything we could to find out where this kid came from,” Schofro said.

He decided to call the police, and when he told the operator he found a young boy, the operator asked: “Is he wearing gray sweatpants?”

Schofro confirmed he was, and “I hear her yell across the room, ‘They found him!’”

Officers arrived minutes later to retrieve the child.

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In a statement, the Lebanon Police Department said a parent of the child reported that he was missing about five minutes before Schofro called. The boy wandered about 175 yards.

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“Officers arrived quickly, confirmed the child’s identity and reunited them with their parent after a medical evaluation,” the statement said. “The report does state that the citizen who located the child was alerted by their dog to the child being in the yard. Thankfully, this incident had a good and swift ending.”

About 15 minutes after the boy was picked up by police, two officers came to Schofro’s home to complete their report. They commended Zoie for her keen alerting skills.

“They gave her a bunch of love,” Schofro said. “If it wasn’t for Zoie, no one would have realized that this boy was running around in front of our houses.”

Schofro was so proud of his pup that he decided to write a Reddit post sharing the story. He did not expect his write-up to go viral.

“I was shocked when I saw the response,” he said.

Hundreds of comments poured in.

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“Dogs are the best thing about life in my opinion,” someone wrote.

“Dogs truly have that sixth sense when it comes to protecting the vulnerable. What a hero!” commented another.

Schofro said he can understand why so many people were touched by Zoie’s actions.

“People love doggies and people love little kids, and if a doggy can help save a little kid, then I think people love that,” he said.

Schofro said he does not know who the child’s parents are, and he doesn’t blame them for what happened.

“Things happen all the time. Life is life,” Schofro said.

While Schofro and his wife knew Zoie was a savvy pup – they say she can use doorknobs – they have a new appreciation for her intelligence.

“I think she likes to pretend she’s not smart because she likes to run into walls sometimes,” Schofro said, noting that the only time she gets riled up is when she spots a squirrel.

Otherwise, “she is the most relaxed dog ever,” he said. “She is super lovey.”

But in this case, Zoie proved to be far more than that.

“It makes us very, very happy and very proud,” Schofro said.

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