Family Dog Keeps Daughters Safe After They Were Stranded and Lost in Woods

A goldendoodle named Artemis came to the rescue of his human siblings recently. One evening, Mary Bourg from Folsom Louisiana, was frantic. Her young daughters, Abigail, 7, and Cecilia, 4, has been out playing with their dog Artemis while she finished working but by the time the sun was setting, they hadn’t come home yet, and she was understandably worried. She called out for them. She roamed the six acres of property their home is on.

“I had the worst thoughts. I just didn’t let those thoughts stick around very long because I couldn’t handle that. That feeling of just, 'Oh my gosh, what could happen to them, where are they,” their mother, 31, told WWLTV. “You start feeling the worst in those split seconds, too long," 

Mary wondered if they’d fallen in the creek or if one of the wild boars that roam their property had gotten to them and injured–or worse­­–them.

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“I’d been running around our property, and I was calling for them,” Mary, told Today.com on Dec. 20. “Usually, they come running with Artemis leading the way.”

“I began to think the worst,” Mary continued “My mind was just racing.”

Heroic Barking

Mary tried to calm her shaking hands as she dialed 911 to report that her two young daughters were missing. She also asked for help in a local Facebook group.

“Originally, I was very confident we were going to find them in the woods,” their father Justin Bourg said. “That’s their favorite place to go play but once hour three, three and a half was kind of creeping up on us on the clock I was getting more dark thoughts.” 

And then, four hours later, their girls were home with their beloved three-year-old Goldendoodle Artemis leading the way. 

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Mary and Justin found out that when the sisters realized they were lost, they stayed in the same place, sat down, and played games.  

“Abigail was laying on top of Artemis holding his collar and just snuggled up with him and Cecilia was laying with her head on Abigail’s stomach, and they were just kind of dug in for the night," Justin Bourg said.

The dog’s barking attracted people searching for Abigail and Cecilia. Artemis also ran circles around the girls when volunteers from the Facebook group got close to the girls.

The Incredible Bond of Dogs and Humans

“He was pouncing around them and growling,” a neighbor named Rooster Cowart said. “He was not going to let me get to them at all.”

Cowart is also convinced that Artemis protected Abigail and Cecilia from an aggressive wild boar that he’d crossed paths with while he tried to find the girls.

As a reward for his heroism, Artemis ate a raw steak. He’s also been given all kinds of treats from his fans and a free blueberry facial at the vet.

But the Bourgs learned a valuable lesson and while they don’t want to curb their daughters’ curiosity and love for the outdoors, they realize that they should be wearing tracking devices. The couple is also investigating installing security cameras around their property for safety.

“I don’t want to traumatize them — I want to keep that adventure mentality, but also have a head about it and be smart,” Justin Bourg told the local NBC affiliate WDSU. 

“"We’re definitely going to look into some tracker watches or tracking equipment if they are out here and I’m going to do a better job of teaching them about the elements out here,” Justin said.

 “I was hoping to have a little more time but looks like they’re ready to do a lot more exploring, I’m going to do a better job of teaching them about the elements out there.” 

And since the incident, Abigail has wanted Artemis to sleep in her bed with her.

"They've gotten much closer," Mary said. "It's like she understands what he did for them. Animals are a lot smarter than we give them credit for."

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