A barking neighborhood dog became an “unexpected hero” when the canine led police officers straight to a missing 3-year-old boy during a search for the Kentucky toddler, authorities said.
In a Monday, February 9, Facebook post crediting the “very good dog,” the Louisville Metro Police Department published a video that includes body camera footage of the January 7 search.
“Any time you have a kid that young, you’re fearful,” Officer Josh Thompson is heard saying in the video. “In that situation, when it’s a missing kid under the age of 11, if you’re not on a run actively, everyone goes to it.”
The police department sent out officers, including Thompson, to search for the boy on foot and also deployed a drone to look for the toddler from the skies above the neighborhood, Thompson said.
While canvassing the neighborhood, Thompson headed to a local home, where he said he encountered a dog outside that began walking with him.
The dog’s barks can be heard on the body camera footage.
“At first, you don’t know about dogs,” Thompson said, adding that he was a “little leery” initially.
“He’s barking, chirping at me a little bit, and then continues to follow me back to the front porch again to knock on the house again,” Thompson said.
Thompson explained that he made a gesture to the dog, as seen on the body camera footage, and said “Hey, let’s go find this kid.”
The dog springs into action and starts to lead Thompson to the back of the house, where a door was found open, according to the video.
Thompson, however, said he had a feeling that the child must be in the backyard, based on the dog’s behavior.
The dog ultimately led officers to an SUV in the backyard, according to Thompson.
They found the missing boy inside the vehicle, which appeared to have no one else inside, the footage shows.
“The kid was in the front passenger seat, terrified,” Thompson said.
The body camera footage shows Thompson instructing the child on how to unlock the car before Thompson opens the car door.
“He jumped out of the car, bear-hugged my neck and wouldn’t let go,” Thompson said of the boy.
The child was unharmed and reunited with his family, according to police.
It is unclear how the boy ended up inside the vehicle or how long he had been missing.
The Louisville Metro Police Department did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Luxury Handbag Shopping on Tuesday, February 10.
“Outstanding work by our officers, and a four‑legged friend who reminded us that heroes come in all forms,” the department wrote on Facebook.
In the video, Thompson said although he had patrolled the neighborhood where the child went missing for two years, he had not seen the dog until that day on January 7.
He has not seen the dog since, he said.
“I don’t know where the dog came from, but it was a blessing from God that day,” he added.
