Missing Arizona toddler’s parents react to how he was found

SELIGMAN, Ariz. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - An Arizona toddler who had been missing for 16 hours was found safe by a rancher's dog on Tuesday.

Despite the scratches from Bodin Allen's terrifying adventure last week, the two-year-old is happy to be back home with Mom and Dad, with his parents, Corey and Sarah Allen, holding him tighter than ever before.

"It feels like a gift from God," Corey expressed.

On Monday, they were at their home just west of Seligman. Corey was working on the roof and Sarah was taking care of their youngest child.

She heard Bodin walk outside, but when she went to go get him, Sarah said, "I started calling for him and he wasn't answering."

They started searching all over their property.

"It started more intense every minute and so I'm just freaking out," Corey shared.

Corey and Sarah called in family to help, but there was still no sign of Bodin.

"I just looked [at my wife] dead in the eye and I said, 'He's gone,'" Corey expressed.

Their minds going to the worst case scenario.

"The tears are still coming when we think about it," Corey further shared.

After an hour, they called the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office to search for their two-year-old son.

But even after the sun went down, Bodin was still gone, out in the wilderness surrounded by rugged terrain and dangerous creatures like mountain lions that roam in the area.

When asked if they got any sleep the night their son went missing, Corey said, "Absolutely not. I was just crying all night."

Sarah followed up by saying, "I didn't even know how to process it. I looked at his empty bed in the middle of the night and I'm like, 'This isn't real. 'How is he not here?' 'How is he out in the dark alone?' 'How is that real?'"

"It's like the worst living nightmare any parent can feel," Corey added.

The massive search consisted of helicopters, 4x4s and dozens of volunteers.

But after 16 hours, Bodin was found seven miles away. The hero who rescued him was an Anatolian Pyrenees named Buford.

Buford belongs to Scotty Dunton, who says Buford found Bodin sleeping under a tree and then guided him safely back to his ranch.

"I feel like God sent that dog to rescue my son," Corey remarked.

Later in the morning, the Allens got the call they had been waiting for, saying it's nothing short of a miracle.

"It's like. 'He's here, he's healthy, he's fine,' like nothing ever happened. It still feels like a dream," Sarah admitted.

The dream of having their son back home safe was now a reality, never wanting to experience the nightmare of losing him ever again.

"I can't let this happen again. It's never going to happen again," Corey declared.