A missing toddler is back home with his family thanks to a Florida officer and his police dog partner, Midnight.
The toddler’s mother called the City of Deland Police Department after her three-year-old son wandered into the woods behind his home earlier this week. Police Corporal Damon Clark arrived on the scene and had Midnight sniff the boy’s blanket before heading into the thick forest. The dog was able to find the child in under an hour.
“He was dragging me through the woods like he was just, he wasn’t gonna stop,” Officer Clark told News 4.
Officer Clark said the toddler often played in the forest. But that particular day, he wandered further into the brush and lost his way. Luckily, he had a tablet with him. So he sat in one place and watched it while the K9 searched.
The Florida Police Dog Has Succesfully Located Five Missing Persons
Midnight had to head back to the home and smell the blanket several times before locating the missing boy. But the entire search only took about 45 minutes. The boy was unharmed.
“I would say we were on the ground probably 45 minutes or so, which feels like hours and hours and hours when you’re being dragged behind the dog through the woods,” he continued.
“The dog was actually able to get to him much quicker than I was because I’m getting caught up on vines and trees and shrubbery and stuff like that,” Officer Clark added. “By the time I got back there, he’s licking the little boy’s face, and he’s all over the little boy.”
According to Fox News, the police dog and his human partner have found five missing persons during their career, which is a 100% success rate.
“I’m the dumb end of the leash, so he does all the work,” he told News 4. “My job is just to read him, read his body language, you know, and understand what he’s telling me. Because, obviously, he can’t talk.”
To reward Midnight for a job well done, Officer Clark got his favorite toys, tennis balls. He also bought him a hamburger.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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