A three-year-old boy who went missing has been found after surviving freezing temperatures thanks to the warmth of his dog.
Ostap Maidanyuk disappeared on the evening of 11 March after following the dog who exited his grandmother’s backyard.
The young boy and the dog, named Barbos, disappeared without her realising.
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When she noticed that both were missing, she alerted local police, triggering an extensive search operation.
Around 500 people were involved in the hours-long search for Ostap and Barbos.
Police officers, border guards, the army, and even residents of the local area got involved and trekked through freezing cold, rainy weather.
Drones and thermal imaging cameras were used to find them.
On the morning of 12 March, a local resident, Andriy Chubatyuk, found Ostap tucked away in a ravine at a local garbage dump with the dog.
He had spent the night cuddled up to Barbos, whose warmth kept him safe and alive.
The pair were discovered a few kilometres away from Ostap’s grandmother’s house, which is located in Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine.
After being found, Ostap was rushed to a hospital as he displayed symptoms of hypothermia.
Quick intervention from doctors led to him recovering quickly, with Ostap happy to be reunited with his grandmother.
Yesterday morning, Vinnytsia Oblast Police revealed that they had found the boy in a post online.
“Almost half a thousand law enforcers and civilians immediately arrived to search for Ostap,” they wrote.
“Police officers from all units, rescuers, border guards, troops, and hunters [were involved].
“Hundreds of locals also responded to help, including boys and girls, schoolchildren, who were indifferent to the fate of a small villager.
“They have been looking for Ostap since the evening of March 11 and found him in the morning in a ditch at a local dump, a few kilometers from his grandmother’s home.
“Next to the boy was his loyal friend, the dog Barbos, who did not leave him for a minute and stayed with him the whole time because it was raining.
“This made the child’s condition relatively satisfactory – doctors diagnosed him with a cold and after examination he was admitted to the hospital.
“We express infinite gratitude to everyone who did not sleep this night with the police and looked for a little resident of Chernivtsi.”
Their post has received almost 2,000 likes, with social media users relieved that Ostap was found, as reported by Need To Know.
Lilia said: “A huge thank you to all. It’s good that the baby is safe.”
Someone else said: “God, poor child and parents. How did they survive this time, I can’t imagine. Thank God that everything is fine now, it is not possible to read without tears.”
“Thank god Ostap was found. I want to thank all the people who were looking for the child, everyone who contributed. Barbos is a good dog, smart,” a third user added.
Olenka added: “I am sure that dogs are angels. Thank god that baby was found.”
“Thank God for the good news. The doggie gets an extra treat,” someone else said.
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