Recently, a heroic German Shepherd police K9 named Biza became the talk of the town when it tracked down a missing child in the freezing Massachusetts winter. Last week, the Auburn Police Department (APD) was alerted of a missing child who hadn’t been seen in several hours. Given the harsh winter climate, the authorities moved swiftly to locate the individual.
“On Wednesday January 31, 2024, at approximately 10:30PM the Auburn Police Department learned that a 12-year-old child left their home at approximately 8:30PM. The child was last seen in the Pakachoag Hill area of Auburn and their whereabouts was currently unknown,” according to a Facebook post from the Auburn MA Police Department.
The APD explained the urgent nature of the emergency, where they allocated significant resources to safely locate the child. “Due to the freezing temperatures and nature of the incident numerous Auburn Police Officers and Troopers from the Massachusetts State Police converged on the area in an attempt to locate the child. Detectives from the Auburn Police Department, Detective Bureau responded to assist as well,” the post continued.
“Officer Ljunggren and his K9 partner Biza were deployed. K9 Biza was able to pick up a scent and began to track the scent. K9 Biza tracked for a length of over two miles and led Officers to an area where evidence showed that the child had been present a short time earlier. Officers converged on this area and located the child a short time later. The child was reunited with their family and is safe,” the APD wrote. “We are proud of the hard work put in by K9 Biza and are happy to report a positive outcome!”
Not only are dogs man’s best friend, but they often play a crucial role in emergency situations, as Biza displayed through her courageous actions. Despite how Police K9s can often receive negative publicity, they are often used as a force for good.
“Most importantly, K9’s are oftentimes used to locate missing children, missing elderly persons, or persons with disabilities who have [wandered] off,” officials explained. “The media likes to portray Police K9s as ‘attack dogs,’ but in reality, an apprehension where a K9 bites a suspect occurs less often than people realize.”
The American Tribune recently reported on another heroic K9 from Ohio, where police officer Chad Hagan is fighting to become the owner of an aging police dog named Igor. “It’s unfortunate because I’ve been with Igor [the dog] almost his whole life, and I know him personally. And the fact that they’re saying that he’s not slowing down and there’s no change… I don’t know who made that decision or who said that, but it’s not true,” he said.
“Igor’s six-and-a-half, almost seven-years-old and everyone knows the dog starts slowing down. He’s past his prime. We wake up in the morning, get ready for work, [and] he doesn’t want to follow me down the stairs because his body’s aching. He’s been a working dog for however many years. He’s worked hard. He’s done his time, and he deserves to be at home with the family, be comfortable and just live the rest of his life happy.”
Featured Image Credit: Auburn MA Police Department/Facebook
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