'Blessing from God': Furry, four-legged sleuth helps officers find missing toddler
Police officers searching high and low for a missing toddler in Louisville, Kentucky, last month received an unlikely assist from a four-legged hero.
While a drone and police helicopter searched overhead for signs of the 3-year-old boy, officers with the Louisville Metro Police Department's Seventh Division canvased the neighborhood, keenly aware that time was of the essence.
'Lassie found him!'
Officer Josh Thompson indicated that a fellow officer heard tell of a report from a woman "that called in about a kid. It wasn't the same description, but it was a young kid — hit her Ring doorbell camera, ran off."
After following up with the woman, Thompson learned that the boy had ventured to the home across the street.
The front porch of that residence was flanked by packages, and there were no obvious signs of anyone being inside. So Thompson inspected the rear of the house, taking note that "there's some spots where a kid may be."
When returning to the front of the home, hoping that this time someone might answer the door, Thompson realized that he was being tailed.
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"There's a dog, starts walking with me," Thompson recalled. "At first, you don't know about dogs. You don't know where the dog's from, so I'm kind of being a little leery of the dog. He's barking, chirping at me a little bit, and then continues to follow me back to the front porch."
The dog was relentless, yapping at Thompson in an apparent effort to get his attention.
Bodycam footage shows Thompson gesture to the dog and say, "Let's go find him! Come on! Let's go!" Immediately, the dog spins, then begins leading the officer back toward the rear of the house.
"It led me all the way back to the back yard. At that point, I'm thinking, 'Okay, this kid's in this back yard,'" recalled Thompson.
Noticing that the back door was ajar, officers briefly checked inside the house for the child but found nothing. When the officers came out empty-handed, they were greeted again by the dog, which hurried over to a parked car.
Moments later, Thompson heard his fellow officer, who had accompanied the dog through the back yard, announce victory: "I got him!"
"The kid was in the front passenger seat, terrified," said Thompson.
With some coaching from the officers, the kid was able to unlock the door and was greeted with cheers.
"I don't think I've ever seen a happier kid in my life," said Thompson. "He jumped out of the car, bear-hugged my neck, and wouldn't let go."
In the footage, it's clear that the dog was similarly excited over the result, wagging its tail excitedly and darting its nose from officer to officer.
"Lassie found him!" says one of the officers.
Thompson suggested that in his two years patrolling the neighborhood, he had never seen the hero dog before or since.
"I don't know where the dog came from," he said. "But it was a blessing from God that day."
The LMPD stated, "Outstanding work by our officers, and a four-legged friend who reminded us that heroes come in all forms."
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More than two dozen confidential human sources were in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a new report released on Thursday.
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