Hero K9 tracks down missing 10-year-old girl and brings her home safe

K9 dogs are an invaluable part of any police department. Dogs’ remarkable instincts make them uniquely capable of performing crucial tasks that their human counterparts couldn’t.

Most importantly, K9 dogs have a heightened sense of smell that makes them crucial in missing persons cases, helping to bring people home before it’s too late.

This week, one heroic dog helped bring a missing girl home safe and sound.

On December 12, Connecticut State Police’s Troop L Litchfield responded to a call about a missing 10-year-old female who had gone missing. The police dispatched K9 Izzy and her handler, TFC Matthew, to the scene.

On 12/12/21 at approximately 1408 hours, TFC Matthew and K9 Izzy were dispatched to the area of White Deer Rocks Rd in…

Posted by Connecticut State Police – Troop L Litchfield on Monday, December 13, 2021

Izzy is a bloodhound, a breed famous for their incredible scent detection skills.

According to the department, Izzy was able to get on the trail of the missing child, leading her handler on a 1.63 mile track.

Soon, Izzy successfully tracked down the 10-year-old, in the Whittemore Sanctuary in Woodbury, Connecticut.

On 12/12/21 at approximately 1408 hours, TFC Matthew and K9 Izzy were dispatched to the area of White Deer Rocks Rd in…

Posted by Connecticut State Police – Troop L Litchfield on Monday, December 13, 2021

Whittemore Sanctuary is about 700 acres, so you can imagine it would’ve been difficult to search without Izzy leading the way. And given the girl’s young age, it’s great they were able to find her sooner than later.

The K9 was praised for her success on the case: “Great work to Izzy and her handler!” the department wrote on Facebook.

**K9 Izzy locates fleeing suspect in woods** On Thursday December 10th at 6:45pm, the Torrington Police Department…

Posted by Connecticut State Police – Troop L Litchfield on Friday, December 11, 2020

This certainly isn’t the first time Izzy has saved the day by locating a missing person.

In a post from last December, the department reported that she located 48 people in 2020. In addition to finding missing persons, she has also helped the department locate fleeing suspects.

According to previous posts from the department, some of Izzy’s success stories this year include locating a suicidal person in April, and locating a missing person in January while braving “below-freezing weather conditions.”

We’re so glad this missing girl has been found safe and sound, all thanks to heroic K9 Izzy! It’s a reminder of all the important work police dogs do for their communities.

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