A toddler is safe after wandering away from her grandmother on a trail in the Molalla River Recreation Area in Oregon. Luckily, for Iris Nix, 59-year-old Tammy Stevens was in the area going for a morning horse ride with her two dogs, Wilson and Maddie.
When Iris first ran ahead of her grandmother, Gayla Ann Jay, she wasn't too worried, but after 15 minutes, she started to freak out and asked some loggers to help search for her granddaughter.
"Yeah, 15 minutes I could tolerate. After 15 minutes, I started to lose it," Gayla told Fox 12 Oregon.
The loggers called 911 and deputies joined the search but were unable to locate the young girl. That's when they ran into Stevens and her dogs. She didn't hesitate to help and decided to search in the opposite direction. While she was surveying the steep terrain, she heard a slight whimper in the distance.
“I said to Wilson, ‘Go get her and show me the way,’” Stevens said.
The dog ran off and was able to locate Iris and lead the rescuers to her location.
“I just followed Wilson, and he was just laying with his little front paws on Iris’ lap. She had her little hand on him, and she was crying, just sobbing, and oh God,” said Tammy through tears. “It was the best moment of my life."
After two hours lost in the woods, Iris was reunited with her grandmother and was unharmed.
“She—it makes me cry!” said Gayla. “She's my heart. I’m very grateful.”