ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – A Roanoke County Police K-9 came to the rescue of a child with special needs on Wednesday.
Remi, a 3-year-old German Shepherd, helped track down a 9-year-old nonverbal child living with autism who got lost in the woods.
Remi’s handler, Officer Stephen Foutz, said she’s an explosives detection dog and a passive tracker, which means she can safely find missing children or older people, without chasing them or becoming aggressive once they are found.
Wednesday morning’s rescue was Remi’s first time tracking down anyone and Foutz said he couldn’t be happier.
“I specifically, you know, put my name in the hat to be selected for Remi with the hopes that we would be able to do this type of training and to help find missing kids,” said Foutz. “There’s nothing more rewarding than that, so I was elated.”
Remi was able to track down the missing child in just 12 minutes by sniffing his pillow and following the scent.