Police officers reunite wandering toddler with her worried family with help from the family dog

WENTZVILLE, Missouri -- A two-year-old girl who wandered away from her Wentzville, Missouri home was returned back to her family with the help of their dog.

According to KMOV, the toddler woke up from her nap without her parents knowing -- and walked outside.

She ended up blocks from her home. But luckily, the family cockapoo was by her side.

“We saw a police officer holding a little girl and a utility worker holding a dog,” said Sarah Woodard, who spotted the sight while with her daughter at the bus stop on Tuesday afternoon, April 19th.

The little girl and her dog were found wandering down Duello Road -- a busy stretch.

Woodard and other neighbors started knocking on doors.

“She just kept saying, ‘mom.’ She wanted mommy. That was it. We’re all trying to wrack our brains on how to get this little girl home," Woodard said.

When neighbors couldn't help, a police officer looked at the dog and got a idea.

With the help of animal control, they scanned the dog’s microchip, which led them to the child’s house in the Bluffs of Heather Glen.

“It was thinking out of the box for the officers," Wentzville Police Chief Kurt Frisz said.

Frisz said his officers were able to get the toddler home safely. The little girl had been gone for about 30 minutes.

Frisz said her parents were unaware the child was not still tucked away in her bed.

“The house was childproof. There was one sliding door that was not and I’ll tell you -- it doesn't take much for a child to slip away quickly. It’s an unfortunate incident that turned out OK," Frisz said.