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3/22/2007 3:33 AM

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By Amanda Gillooly

Staff writer

agillooly@observer-reporter.com

CANONSBURG - Terry Bard ran outside in his underwear Wednesday morning to retrieve an almost-naked toddler who wandered into a pen where his dog sleeps.

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It was below freezing when he plucked the 2-year-old boy from the straw-laden pen at his home at 115 Oak Spring Road around 8:30 a.m.

Bard said he looked out the window to see his dog, R.C., lying on top of the child to keep him warm.

"I lost it. I panicked," he said. "It was a hell of a way to wake up."

So Bard woke up his family and summoned the police.

He didn't know who the little boy with the red hair and big blue eyes was or where he came from.

It was unclear how long the child had been outside.

When officers arrived, Canonsburg Patrolman Allan Brooks immediately recognized the boy from nearby 105 Oak Spring.

Brooks and Sgt. Chuck Tenny approached the home and found the door wide open. They yelled inside to the toddler's mother, Angela Harps, who police said was sleeping.

Bard said police retrieved clothing for the boy, who was clad in only a gray T-shirt when he was discovered. The child stayed at the Bard residence while police and representatives from Washington County Children and Youth Services investigated.

One of Bard's family members, Nicole Skirpan, cradled the child in her arms as he clutched a big green teddy bear.

"He was standing at the door crying," she said. "But he stopped as soon as I picked him up."

Police said the boy was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

CYS Director Jeff Felton said the child was placed with his maternal grandparents. The department is still investigating the incident, he said.

Meanwhile, child endangerment charges against Harps will proceed by summons, police said.

Both police and family members said the hero Wednesday was R.C., the husky-German shepherd mix that made sure the boy stayed warm.

"He deserves a big, fat, juicy steak for this one," said Christina Greggs, who also lives with Bard.

Bard agreed.

"I'm just glad my dog isn't mean," he said, walking outside to where R.C. was lounging.

"Good dog," he told him.

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