When duty calls, a trained police dog listens, and that’s what happened in Wales on Saturday when a mother and her baby were reported missing, the Guardian reports.
Policeman Peter Lloyd and his two-year-old German Shepherd cross named Max were sent out on their first-ever search operation by the Dyfed-Powys Police of Wales, and helped to trace the whereabouts of the mother and one-year-old, who were found at “the edge of a ravine after spending the night outdoors,” police said in a release.
PD Max’s tracking skills really came into play, despite only recently becoming licensed, and on his first operational shift
The newly licensed Max covered a vast area during the operation, nailing a search effort which has been commended by officers. Inspector Jonathan Rees-Jones said prompt action had been required to find the pair, who were felt to be in danger.
“The woman had not been seen or spoken to for two days which was out of character, and her phone wasn’t working so, naturally concern for her safety was high,” he said.
As well as the efforts of Max and his handler Lloyd, specialist search officers and neighbourhood police had joined forces to reach the woman’s house, trying to find clues that would help them to locate the mother and daughter. Once they found a car, Max took over.
“Thanks to [the] excellent work between teams, the woman’s car was quickly found on a mountain road. Although this gave officers a location to search from, there was still a vast area to cover given the amount of time she had been missing. This is where PD Max’s tracking skills really came into play. Despite only recently becoming licensed, and on his first operational shift, he immediately commenced an open area search,” inspector Rees-Jones said.
Help from the Brecon Mountain Rescue Team, a Police Air Service helicopter, and some advice from a search expert let officers train their efforts around a reservoir and woodland area, the Guardian reported.
But it was Max and Officer Lloyd who first spotted the missing woman, who waved her hands for help near a steep ravine mountainside as they came into view. After the rescue, the mother and baby were medically inspected by doctors at the site.
Inspector Rees-Jones lauded the joint efforts of Officer Lloyd and Max — deeming it an impeccable performance on their first day out.
Max will continue to assist the force on search and tracking operations, helping to find missing people and suspects alike. Officer Lloyd, who himself only joined the force in February of this year, said he was impressed by the dog’s focus, and was glad that together, they got the job done.
Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
There was an error, please provide a valid email address.
A welcome email is on its way. If you don’t see it please check your junk folder.
The next issue of The StarPhoenix Headline News will soon be in your inbox.
We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.
365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4
© 2020 The Star Phoenix, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.
This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.