A one-year-old pit-boxer mix named Apollo gets the credit for the safe return of a West Michigan toddler. Domonic Peake says the dog stayed by the boy's side the entire time he was missing Wednesday. (6/20)

“As much as I loved that dog before, I owe my life to my dog." Peake tells WWMT.

Princeton slipped out of the house, and the boy's parents noticed footprints leading into a muddy field near their property. He immediately contacted police and the Van Buren County Sheriff's Department began searching for the boy. Sheriff Daniel Abbott says he's grateful that the dog and the boy have such a great relationship.

 “The little guy, once in a while, we'd see his footprints, but the dog was sinking in and if it wasn't for that dog it could have been a lot worse. We're fortunate with the dog being with him we could track where the dog was walking.”

Abbott rewarded the dog with several big bags of dog food.

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