For a mother or father to hear that their child is missing is one of life’s biggest heartbreaks. It is not just the fact that the life they brought into this world is gone but also the concern of where their child is and whether or not they are safe and sound.
It happens so often, that once a child goes missing, parents hold themselves responsible for being careless and irresponsible. They think that they had all the power in the world to prevent things from going wrong. There are so many emotions involved in a traumatic situation like when a child goes missing, and this family knows all about it.
When six-year-old Kaydon Ray Leach from Blount, Tennessee disappeared, out-of-the-blue, on April 23, 2018, anxiety immediately set in. Authorities were contacted right away. The four-foot, brown-haired, blue-eyed boy was claimed to have been last seen wearing a black t-shirt, gray sweatpants, and slip-on shoes and possibly accompanied by a black-and-white terrier.
Besides police, others also got involved in the mystery: K-9 teams, helicopters, a volunteer search group composed of over 100 individuals, a SWAT team, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation along with an Endangered Child Alert that went out to inform others.
After searching a 2,000-acre area for over 20 hours, young Kaydon was found lying on the ground, but he was accompanied by someone else: his terrier named Chula.
It turned out, as the night grew colder, the dog snuggled with Kaydon in attempt to keep him warm. Chula even growled at near-by rescuers to try to protect the boy from harm.
While Kaydon was found alive and well, he was taken to a local hospital to ensure he was truly safe. After a check-up, the boy was doing very well and had returned to the home.
According to his family, “The amount of support we have received has been tremendous, even from people we don’t even know.” This behavior is what reinvigorates faith in humanity. You’ll be surprised to see how many strangers will lend support and come to stand by your side in your time of need. It’s a blessing in disguise.
Everyone involved in Kaydon’s case — from police officers to volunteers, to Chula, the terrier — played an incredible role in protecting the child’s life from danger.
Learn more about Kaydon and Chula’s rescue by watching the video below.
