They say dogs are a man’s best friend — we couldn’t agree more. They love us unconditionally, they are always loyal, they can always put us in a good mood, and they protect us.
A 3-year-old girl is alive today after going missing in Alabama. Her safety and survival are all thanks to a loving family member and a sweet dog.
Serenity Sanders went missing from her family’s home in DeKalb County, Alabama. The second that Eric Gilbreath heard news of her disappearance, he immediately sprung into action to help. Gilbreath’s son is Serenity’s half-brother, so driving two hours to help search for her wasn’t even a second thought.
The search group consisted of 18 agencies and many more private citizens; everyone was determined to find the toddler alive, at this point she had been missing for several hours.
“Your heart just falls out on the floor. My first thought was helping, getting out there and looking. I wasn’t going to give up,” Gilbreath said.
When Gilbreath arrived at one of the search locations, he decided to go off in his own direction to look for Serenity. He started to walk into the thick woods with his flashlight.
“I just walked the ridge top, walked halfway down the ridge and walked the bottom of the ridge and went to the next one,” Gilbreath said.
After walking through the dense woods for a few hours, Gilbreath finally saw Serenity — she was sitting with her family dog.
“That dog was still right there by her side. She was standing there behind the tree. I walked behind the tree she said, ‘Hey Eric’,” Gilbreath said.
Gilbreath picked up the little girl, and they began to walk through the woods to the road as the dog followed. The woods were so incredibly thick that Gilbreath had trouble finding his way back out; he had to listen to the police sirens and follow the lights to make his way back to the search party.
As Gilbreath walked back to safety with the 3-year-old girl and her dog, she talked and talked the entire way.
“She was talking about her scratches,” Gilbreath said.
Serenity was found just 600 yards from her home and was transported to the local hospital as a precaution. However, she’s expected to be fine thanks to her dog. The dog had kept her warm in the chilly, early morning temperatures. Gilbreath reminded the 3-year-old not to leave her house or go anywhere without her mom.
The little girl survived the frigid overnight temperatures thanks to her dog and a family that wouldn’t give up on her. The news footage is below.
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