On July 7, North Carolina emergency dispatchers received a call from a concerned passerby about a young child wandering alone along a Union County road. The situation quickly escalated into a tense search effort when responding deputies discovered that the boy, approximately six years old, was both autistic and non-verbal. This presented a unique challenge: locating his home or parents was nearly impossible through conventional methods.
A Creative Solution
Enter Remi, a one-year-old bloodhound, and his handler, Deputy Belk. Faced with an unusual predicament, they decided to attempt a ‘reverse’ K-9 track. Lieutenant James Maye, the Public Information Officer, explained that this technique was quite unorthodox. “Normally, they track from where a person left to try to find where that person is currently. This time, we were doing it reverse,” Maye said.
To acquire the child’s scent, Belk used a sterile piece of gauze to gather it from the boy’s forearms and the back of his neck. Within just 15 minutes, Remi successfully led the team to a nearby neighborhood, roughly half a mile away from where the boy was found.
Upon arrival at the boy’s home, deputies found the garage door wide open. They deduced that the child had left quietly, wholly unnoticed by his parents. Fortunately, no criminal activity was involved. The deputies offered the family tips to prevent similar accidents in the future.
A New Training Technique
This incident has led to a breakthrough in K-9 training. “I’ve been around for 10 or 12 years. I’ve never heard anything like this being done. It’s not something that these guys train on normally, but it is something they’re going to instill in training from here on out,” Lieutenant Maye said. Bloodhounds are renowned for their extraordinary sense of smell, able to distinguish one human’s scent from another. Remi’s success showcases the incredible potential of these dogs in search and rescue operations.
Union County Sheriff Eddie Cathey expressed immense pride in his team’s dedication and hard work. “We’re glad we’re helping a local family in their time of need,” he said, emphasizing the importance of their service to the community.
This heartwarming story of Remi the bloodhound highlights the game-changing role K-9 units play in public safety. It also underscores how important innovative thinking is in emergency situations, particularly novel ones. As Union County incorporates this new tracking technique into its K-9 training, families in the area can feel even safer knowing that heroes like Remi are ready to respond.
References:
CNN: A boy was found wandering on a North Carolina road. A police dog helped reunite him with his family
WSAZ: K-9 reunites child found walking alone on road with his family
