Hero Police Dog Helps Find Missing Two-Year-Old Boy in Wooded Area
It’s not all that rare to hear of children going missing from their homes because they wandered off and most families have probably dealt with this scenario at least once.
When a young child becomes lost, it’s their naivete that puts them at the highest risk — they don’t understand the danger of weather, strangers or their surroundings, and every minute they’re gone lasts an age for their worried parents.
In this case, it was an officer and police dog who found a boy and his dog, and dogs are clearly the heroes here.
On Oct. 20, the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s office was notified that a 2-year-old boy and his dog had gone missing in Mason City, Iowa.
There was a wooded area and a creek near the family’s rural home, and any time there is water involved, time is even more of the essence.
People, dogs and a drone from Cerro Gordo County Emergency Management showed up to search for the lost pair.
“Responding deputies assisted family members searching the house and buildings on the acreage,” the sheriff’s report read.
“Mason City Police K-9 were first on the scene. Officer Duane Kemna and K-9 Kilo started a track.”
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Officer Kemna and Kilo followed the scent and eventually found the toddler and his pup less than a mile away, on a neighboring property.
“They tracked the 2-yr-old boy along a creek and through several acres of timber a distance of .6 of a mile. He was found in the NW corner of a neighbor’s house sitting on a cinder block with the dog at his side. He had removed his wet socks, shoes and coat.”
The child was reportedly in good health and didn’t experience any injuries during his jaunt.
“The family is thankful to law enforcement for the safe recovery of the 2-yr-old boy and his dog,” the report concluded. “Medical attention was not required.”
Thankfully this story had a happy ending, and because of the swift actions of the responding officer and his dog, the wandering pup and boy were found before they encountered any real trouble.
“It’s not everyday we get to share good news, but we are proud of the work done yesterday by K9 Kilo and Officer Duane Kemna,” the Mason City Police Department shared on Wednesday.
“They were called to assist Cerro Gordo County Sheriff on a missing person case and tracked down the missing 2-year-old. Good dog!”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
