Missing boy survives overnight by cuddling with puppies, rescuers say

A 10-year-old boy with Down syndrome may have been kept safe, thanks to a little help from man's best friend.

Rescuers say that Kyle Camp, who wandered away from his Hackleburg, Ala., home and got lost in the woods, survived the overnight cold temperatures by cuddling with his pet puppies, CBS affiliate WHNT-TV reports.

Kyle went missing on Tuesday night, and nearly 150 volunteers in the small town teamed up to start a search party.

After about 15 hours, Jamie Swinney, one of the searchers, discovered Kyle the next morning in the woods, near a creek. He was found wet, wearing no shoes or jacket and snuggled up with the puppies.

"He was with four little puppies, and the mother dog kept barking, and I just followed her, kept listening to her bark and finally run across him," Swinney told WHNT-TV.

Another searcher, Joe Garnada, said the boy was "pretty rough" and "scratched up" but appeared to be in good health.

Officials at the Marion County Sheriff's Department believe the dogs kept him warm through the night.

Kyle was treated at a nearby hospital for minor scrapes and bruises.

His brother Chris Bailey was impressed with the rescue effort. "Thank you, thank you so much. I had people from work, as many people as I could get together," he told WBRC-TV. "Just thank you, it's amazing we could all come together like this."