A goldendoodle named Artemis is being hailed as a hero for protecting his human siblings when they got lost in the woods.
Last month, Mary Bourg, who lives in Folsom, Louisiana, found herself frantically dialing 911. The sun was starting to set and her daughters Abigail, 7, and Cecilia, 4, still weren’t home.
“I’d been running around our property — we live on six acres — and I was calling for them,” Mary, 31, tells TODAY.com. “Usually they come running with Artemis leading the way.”
But that wasn’t the case on Nov. 30. Had the girls fallen into a creek, Mary wondered? Aggressive wild hogs roam the area — were they injured?
“I began to think the worst,” Mary says. “My mind was just racing.”
With shaking hands, Mary called the police to report that her two young children were missing. She also posted in a local Facebook group asking for help.
Roughly four hours later, Abigail and Cecilia were in their mother’s arms, thanks in part to Artemis. It was Artemis’ bark that led authorities to the sisters, who were both exhausted and scared.
Once reunited, Mary and her husband, Justin Bourg, learned that Artemis had allowed Abigail to lie down on him when she needed to rest. The 3-year-old golden retriever and poodle mix also started circling Abigail and Cecilia when volunteer rescuers, including a neighbor named Rooster Cowart, tried to approach.
“He was pouncing around them and growling. He was not going to let me get to them at all,” Cowart tells TODAY.com
Cowart says he believes that Artemis also protected the kids from an “aggressive wild hog” that he encountered during his search.
“Those woods can be a scary place,” Cowart says.
Artemis enjoyed a raw steak the following day as a token of appreciation. Mary says he’s also been inundated with treats from fans and received a brightening blueberry facial at the vet — free of charge.
The Bourgs want their girls to continue exploring the outdoors, but going forward they will likely wear tracking equipment. Mary and Justin are also looking into security cameras, according to NBC affiliate WDSU.
“I don’t want to traumatize them — I want to keep that adventure mentality, but also have a head about it and be smart,” Justin Bourg told WDSU.
“I’m going to do a better job of teaching them about the elements out there,” he added. “I was hoping to have a little more time, but looks like they’re ready to do more exploring.”
Abigail has been requesting that Artemis sleep in her bed every night.
"They've gotten much closer," Mary says. "It's like she understands what he did for them. Animals are a lot smarter than we give them credit for."
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