It’s no question that dogs are “man’s best friend,” but we bet you didn’t know that they also serve as pretty important pals to kiddos, too!

Just take today’s story, for instance—a family in Missouri is (hopefully) giving its beloved Yorkie an extra treat tonight to reward him for protecting their lost toddler.

It all happened in Qulin, a small town in southeastern Missouri, where, at this point in the season, corn is king. But while those rows of green and gold can make for a breathtaking landscape, they can also serve as a perfect trap for wandering kiddos.

Unfortunately, this very scenario happened to Remy Merritt, a 3-year-old little girl who, apparently, decided to go on a solo adventure—a decision that nearly ended in disaster. Lucky for tiny Remy, though, she had her little doggy, Fat Heath, right by her side for the more than 12 hours that it took for the community-based search party to locate her.

In an interview with local news station KFVS, Remy’s mom, Timber, said that her little girl went missing at around 8 pm Thursday night.

“I looked for her by myself thinking maybe she was just in the woods or somewhere where I couldn’t see her,” the mom explained. “And I was calling for her and calling for her, and she wasn’t calling back and I realized I don’t think I’m going to find her on my own.”

Every parent’s worst nightmare, right?

Soon after Timber called 911 to report her toddler missing, news spread across the small community, and a search party of roughly 75 to 100 people formed quickly. Although there was no sight of Remy or Fat Heath overnight, by the time the sun rose, the little girl was safely in the arms of her mother once again.

You see, members of the search party were able to locate the missing child when police K-9 units began barking loudly; their sounds prompted the trusty Fat Heath to bark back. From there, rescuers followed the sound of the little dog, which eventually led them to Remy, who was sprawled out on a bed of fallen corn stalks.

“They said she was asleep when [the rescuer] picked her up,” Remy’s mother said. “She was definitely exhausted, hot, really sweaty, and it took a while to drink anything. She said she wasn’t scared because Fat Heath was there. If he wasn’t, I think she would’ve been terrified.”

Other than being spent, little Remy also suffered from some pretty bad mosquito bites. After being rescued, she was treated at the hospital for the bites and sent home with some itch cream. Not too bad considering she spent an entire night alone out in the elements!

To learn even more about this heartwarming story and to hear reactions from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, be sure to watch the video below. Scary stories don’t end up much better than that, folks!

What are your thoughts on this story? Are you surprised that Remy’s dog stayed by her side all night long? Do you have a similar tale that you would like to share?