Dog Kept Missing Yavapai Co. Girl Alive

CORDES LAKES, Ariz. - A 3-year-old girl is back with her parents after spending the night alone in the 30-degree northern Arizona wilderness. Rescue teams found the girl early Friday morning, and curled up right next to her was the family dog Blue.

Yavapai County Sheriff's Office spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn credits the Queensland Heeler with 3-year-old Victoria Bensch's survival. Doctors say she's extremely lucky to have survived the freezing temps.

A Department of Public Safety helicopter crew saw movement and found the little girl and her dog just before 9 o'clock Friday morning, three-quarters of a mile from her home. DPS paramedic Eric Tarr said the girl was facedown in the wash -- if it wasn't for her dog, they might not have seen her.

"I kneeled down next to her and told her 'I'm going to take you to your mommy.' She smiled at me and put her arms up," said Tarr. The 3-year-old was not wearing shoes.

The DPS crew landed and then flew the child back to be reunited with her mother and father.

"She was already pretty cold by the time we got to her and it was good the dog was with her," said DPS pilot Matt Uhl.

"You could see the dog's expression almost turn into a smile. It came and jumped into the helicopter no problem at all," said Tarr.

The child was then flown to Phoenix Children's Hospital for frostbite treatment and swollen feet. The girl is expected to spend the night in the hospital as a precaution. Victoria's dad says that once he has her home, he's planning to throw a big barbeque as a thank you to all the rescuers.

Authorities said the little girl was outside playing early Thursday evening when she disappeared along with her dog.

Phoenix dog trainer Toni Drugmand has been training dogs for 20 years. Drugmand says dogs are pack animals that will sometimes assume the role of responsibility when there's an emergency. After hearing Victoria and Blue's story of survival, she's more convinced than ever that dogs are man's best friend.

"It was kind of exciting, it was touching, it brought tears to my eyes," said Drugmand.

Cordes Lakes is 36 miles east of Prescott in Arizona's high country.