Three Kids Disappear From Campsite, and One Very Good Dog Knows What to Do

A family camping in the Colorado wilderness faced a terrifying realization when three young children suddenly could not be found. What began as an ordinary Saturday morning near Buena Vista quickly became an urgent search through miles of rugged terrain. As worried relatives searched without success and precious time passed, law enforcement called in every resource available. Among those joining the effort was Archie, a Chaffee County canine deputy who had completed his training only one day earlier.

The children, one 9-year-old and two 6-year-olds, had been camping with a large group from the Denver area near the Midland Bike Trail east of Buena Vista. Their family realized they were missing around 9 a.m. on Saturday. Relatives searched the surrounding area for approximately two hours, hoping they would find the children nearby. When their efforts brought no sign of them, they contacted law enforcement around 11 a.m.

Chaffee County Sheriff’s deputies responded and quickly expanded the search. Chaffee County Search and Rescue joined the effort, along with several teams searching on foot. Drones were sent into the air, and a helicopter began searching from above. On the ground, another member of the team was preparing to follow a trail that people could not see. That searcher was Archie, also known as Arch.

Archie Picks Up the Children’s Trail

Archie’s handler, C.J. Meseke, needed something carrying a familiar scent from the missing children. One of their stuffed animals provided exactly what he needed. Meseke used the toy as a scent source, allowing Archie to become familiar with the odor before giving him the command to search. The canine deputy quickly went to work.

According to the sheriff’s department, Archie picked up a scent from the campsite almost immediately. His nose stayed close to the ground as he headed south and southeast away from camp, moving quickly into the wilderness.

For the worried family waiting behind, every passing minute likely felt painfully long. The children were somewhere beyond the campsite, and searchers had no way of knowing exactly how far they had traveled. Archie, however, had found something to follow.

Search and Rescue teams on foot eventually moved through the same general direction Archie had indicated. Their efforts paid off when the missing children were located about 1.5 miles from their campsite.

The three children had apparently wandered away before becoming lost. After hours away from their family, they were found around 2 p.m. Most importantly, all three were uninjured and in good health.

The frightening search ended with the children safely reunited with their family. Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich praised the volunteers and law enforcement personnel who worked together to bring them home, while acknowledging how terrifying the experience must have been for their loved ones.

The successful search also marked an extraordinary beginning for Archie. It was the first mission Archie and Meseke had completed together as a team. Even more remarkably, they had finished their training only the day before.

Archie is also trained as a narcotics-detection dog, so Meseke was already familiar with his enthusiasm for the work. But their first search mission together gave the handler another reason to appreciate his four-legged partner.

“He’s the best partner I’ve ever had,” Meseke told 9NEWS, describing Archie as a happy dog who loves having a job to do.

After the long day, a photograph shared by the sheriff’s department captured a very different side of the hardworking canine. Archie appeared exhausted but happy, looking toward the camera with his tongue hanging out after helping with the search. The department affectionately described him as being “all tuckered out after a long day of work.”

People responding to the story were quick to celebrate Archie. Some suggested the hardworking dog deserved a steak or a generous supply of treats, while others simply called him a hero.

For Archie, however, the greatest reward may have been doing exactly what he had been trained to do. On his very first mission with Meseke, he helped guide searchers in the right direction as three lost children waited in the Colorado wilderness. What began as a family’s frightening morning ended with three children safely back with the people who loved them, and one newly trained canine deputy proving he was ready for the job.