Sometimes they track bad guys or sniff out drugs, but canine cops are also very good at reuniting people.
RCMP Police Service Dog Hasko was instrumental recently in finding a 5-year-old child who vanished from a home near High Prairie in northern Alberta.
Mounties were called on July 14 after a youngster disappeared around 4:30 from East Prairie Metis Settlement.
A relative later posted on the RCMP’s Facebook page the boy was 7, playing in the yard and dressed up like Captain America looking to go on an adventure when his mother briefly lost sight of him.
A search on the ground and by the air with a private helicopter quickly began as Mounties from several detachments, the Lakeshore Police Service and the local fire department and paramedics all joined in looking for the child.
The child was spotted.
But it was Hasko who really saved the day.
“RCMP Police Dog Service handler and PSD Hasko were able to complete a track in the area and locate the child who was found safe and unharmed at approximately 8:45 p.m,” RCMP Corporal Susan Richter explained.
A woman who said she is the grandmother of the boy posted her gratitude on the RCMP Facebook page.
“And a BIG THANK YOU to the RCMP (AND TO THE RCMP DOG) love you doggie I hope you got a big T-Bone steak AND MOST OF ALL THANK YOU JESUS!!!!,” she wrote.
Hasko is a very good dog.
“The safe return of this young child to their family is a relief for all of the emergency services involved in this case,” Sgt. Mark Hall, Acting High Prairie Detachment Commander, said in a statement. “We were very happy to see everyone reunited.”
