Heartwarming moment K9 search dog gives huge lick to missing autistic teen
Video footage shows the moment a K9 unit led officers to an autistic teen who went missing in Jacksonville, Florida.
The footage was obtained from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in the city of Jacksonville, in the US state of Florida, on 4th May.
The video shows the dog moving along a pavement while attached to a lead as officers follow closely behind during the search.
The animal appears focused on the ground before guiding officers along a roadside route toward a nearby commercial area when the teenager, not named, reportedly calls out to them, enabling them to locate him.
Upon meeting the missing teen, the rescue dog, named Ruger, licked the boy as officers breathed a sigh of relief.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the incident took place on April 21, when the teenager was reported missing.
‘When your loved one goes missing, we deploy our best tools to find them quickly and safely,’ they said.
‘Our K9 duo, Ruger and Officer Chris Havens, responded to a reported missing teenage with Autism.
‘K9 Ruger got a scent from the teen’s sock and led Officer Havens and responding patrol officers toward the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Ryar Road when they heard the teenager yelling for help in the parking lot of a business.’
The force said that because Ruger helped find the missing teen, he was rewarded with his favourite toy and plenty of ‘Good boys!’
Another dog helped find the smoking gun from a centuries-old murder case in Exeter.
When Mary Ann Ashford was hanged for murdering her husband in 1866, things went horribly wrong. Her execution in front of 20,000 people in Exeter was so botched that it is often cited as being key in ending public hangings.
Owner Paul Phillips, 49, watched him paw at the same patch of ground in their back garden in Clyst Honiton, Devon, for months.
‘It was a bright blue bottle in perfect, mint condition and said the words, ‘Not To Be Taken’ on the glass,’ his owner said.
‘I thought that was cool and did some research, and it came up as a Victorian poison bottle, and then thought, “oh christ”, I remember reading something about a hanging in the village years ago.’
Paul added that Stanley has not been digging in the spot since the discovery and hopes a local historian will help the family find out more information about the unique story.
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