WATCH: Family dog finds missing 2-year-old, stays by his side

COLD SPRING, Minn. (KMSP) - A two-year-old boy missing for several hours in rural Stearns County last Thursday evening was found by his family’s dog, who stayed by his side until help arrived.

The two-year-old walked away from his home in Cold Spring earlier in the evening. After hours of searching, a Minnesota State Patrol helicopter pilot located the boy and his dog using the helicopter’s camera that picks up heat signatures. The pilot directed searchers on the ground to their location.

Video footage of the rescue shows the dog staying by the boy’s side until searchers found him.

The boy was unharmed and was reunited with his mom a short time later.