When children go missing, time is always of the essence. Especially when the weather is cold and night is on the way. The last day of November was chilly and for one mother in Folsom, La., panic had started setting in just as the sun was going down. She had been outside working at her home, when she realized how late it was getting.
Mary Bourg yelled for her two young daughters, Abigail, 7, and Cecilia, 4. The girls would often play on the 6-acre property, and always came when she called them. But this time, instead of seeing the young girls arrive with the family dog, Artemis, she was greeted with silence.
“I’d been running around our property ‒ we live on six acres ‒ and I was calling for them. Usually they come running with Artemis leading the way.”
She said she panicked, fearing they might have fallen into a creek, or ran into wild hogs that sometimes appear in the area. “I began to think the worst,” Bourg said to Today. “My mind was just racing.” After she called 911 and reported the girls missing, she asked friends and family on Facebook to help search for the girls.
Abigail Bourg rests with Artemis. Photo by Bourg family
A search party gathered, made up of police, neighbors and friends. They combed the property which included a wooded area. And nearly 4.5 hours later, they heard a bark. The rescuers, including neighbor Rooster Cowart, followed the sound and managed to reach the children and Artemis. The three-year-old goldendoodle circled the girls protectively as they approached.
“He was pouncing around them and growling. He was not going to let me get to them at all,” Cowart told Today. After the girls’ mother and father, Justin Bourg, were able to see the children, they were told that Artemis would often stop and let Abigail rest on him when she was too tired to walk any longer.
Cowart also told Today that Artemis likely protected the girls from an “aggressive wild hog” that the rescuers saw roaming around while they looked for the children. “Those woods can be a scary place,” he said. The parents told WDSU they would continue to let their girls explore, but would find a way to track them while they wander, as well as put up security cameras. “I don’t want to traumatize them ‒ I want them to keep that adventure mentality, but also have a head about it and be smart,” Justin said.
Smiling, he said, “I’m going to do a better job of teaching them about the elements out there. I was hoping to have a little more time, but it looks like they’re ready to do more exploring.” As for the heroic dog, he was given a raw steak for his actions. Mary also said that the dog has been receiving treats in the mail from fans, and was also offered a blueberry facial from a local vet. “It’s like (Artemis) understands what he did for them,” she said. “Animals are a lot smarter than we give them credit for.”
