VIDEO: Missing boy's grandmother meets, thanks rescue dogs

KSDK -- Every dog has its day. It's just that no one expected "Bear" to have a day like Wednesday.

Donnie Halpin, the volunteer who found three-year-old Joshua Childers Wednesday afternoon, said he had some help in locating the boy.

Halpin, a construction worker from Fredericktown, said he got lost from his own search party and then noticed two dogs sniffing around the ground, so he went over to investigate. That's when he found Childers, with the dogs standing guard.

The dogs, named 'Little Bill' and 'Bear,' were from the area. Their owner, Debbie Graham, said she noticed the dogs were missing Wednesday but did not think much of it.

Graham said her pups are rescue dogs. She's surprised they helped in a rescue of their own.

"Bear's not the smartest dog in the world, I've got to be honest and tell you that. But he's affectionate, good natured, you cannot make him mad, and he does love people," said Graham, who has a four-year-old grandson of her own. "I'm a little bit surprised he found him, I'm not surprised he stayed with him once they found him, though."

Graham has owned the dog for seven years and she said usually for "Bear" and his buddy "Little Bill", there's no place like home.

Graham said she fed Bear and Little Bill a special dinner of bacon and scrambled eggs as a treat for their good deed.

Joshua's grandmother, Terry Schulte, paid a visit to Graham's house on Thursday to personally offer her thanks and praise for Bear and Little Bill's actions.

"I'm going to go to town and buy them some big bones," she said.

When Joshua is well enough to leave the hospital, Schulte said she'd like to take him to the Graham's home to see the dogs again.