Dog warms, saves girl lost in wilderness

BANCROFT, Ontario, May 7 (UPI) -- A 2 1/2-year-old Canadian girl in eastern Ontario owes her life to her aunt's collie, which draped himself over her while they were lost in the wilderness.

Destiny King wandered from her aunt's farm Monday night followed by a 5-year-old collie named Shilo, the Ottawa Citizen reported.

The area is densely wooded and has steep rock cliffs. Ontario Provincial Police set out with dog teams and the Canadian military provided aircraft to drop flares overnight to help the ground search. Because of the terrain, family and friends weren't allowed to help in the overnight search, the report said.

At 5:20 a.m. Tuesday, a police dog team found the two unharmed, with Shilo sprawled over the girl, about 2 miles from where the she disappeared. Police said the girl's body was matted with the collie's fur but she suffered only minor scratches in the ordeal.

Shilo ran into the bush when he saw the police dogs but found his way home hours later unharmed, the report said.

After the girl was released from the hospital her aunt told her Shilo was now her dog, the family said.