Golden Retriever fanatically barks at toddler in neighbor’s driveway - leads to 911 arriving within seconds to rescue him

A homebound dog saved the life of a baby boy with his agility. Zoie, a golden retriever, was the kindest soul in his neighborhood. Owned by dog parent Brad Schofro, the furry pal's golden retriever energy was much appreciated in his Lebanon home in Tennessee. One day, Zoie seemed impatient and barked while staring out the window. The pet parent suspected something was off and went to investigate. Initially, Schofro thought he was about to get robbed, but that was far from the truth, as reported by The Washington Post. 

“Zoie never barks at anything. My first thought was, ‘Is someone trying to rob my house?’” Schofro told the outlet. As he watched his dog pace up and down, he could not help but look out the window and see a toddler wandering near his neighbor’s driveway alone. The dog owner figured the child was no older than three and was probably lost in the midafternoon. He did not wait and tried to speak to the boy. “I went to talk to him to make sure it wasn’t one of his kids or a kid he knew,” Schofro recalled. However, the boy did not respond and simply shrugged off their questions. He did point at a house across the street, but nobody knew him when Schofro stopped by to clarify. 

The dog owner added, “We were doing everything we could to find out where this kid came from.” The neighbors decided to call 911 and report a lost child. The operators asked for a description of the boy’s clothing and their exact location. When Schofro confirmed the details, he heard a yell across the room. “‘They found him!’” he recounted. Within minutes, police officers arrived in the neighborhood, along with the child’s parents. The family had been worried and reported their missing child only five minutes before Schofro’s call. The toddler had wandered about 175 yards from his home and underwent a medical evaluation to be sure. 

The police concluded the child report case and lauded Zoie for his alertness. “If it wasn’t for Zoie, no one would have realized that this boy was running around in front of our houses,” Schofro marked. He was filled with pride and expressed gratitude for his golden pup in a Reddit post that quickly garnered a massive audience with 91,000 votes. The internet was touched by Zoie’s act and noted how dogs are a blessing to humankind. “People love doggies and people love little kids, and if a doggy can help save a little kid, then I think people love that,” Schofro said. 

Following the incident, Zoie’s parents had a newfound respect for his intelligence. While she does walk into walls and pretends to be silly, the hero dog has an intellect unlike others of his breed. “She is the most relaxed dog ever. She is super lovey,” Schofro said, that is, until she spots a squirrel and gets all riled up. A good girl, indeed!