K-9 Bloodhound Remi rescues lost North Carolina child and returns him to his family

INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. (WTVD) — A rookie police dog officer defied the odds: instead of chasing someone, he helped a lost child find his way home.

The incident happened in Union County over the first weekend of July when someone called 911 after seeing a child walking down the road.

When officers arrived on the scene, they didn't know where the boy came from – he was non-verbal and couldn't tell officers where to go, police said.

So the police called Remi.

“Typically dogs are trained to go search for that person from the location they were last seen, but in this case we're doing it in reverse, which means the dog is simply using the scent it picked up on, in this case the child's arm and the back of their neck, and then following behind to find that same scent inside the home,” said Lt. James May, Union County sheriff's spokesman.

Remi's owner, Deputy Owner B. Berg, who has been training Remi since he was 8 weeks old, said he wasn't at all surprised by how quickly and effectively he brought the baby home.

The child and parents were safely reunited and the parents will not face criminal charges in this case.

“Union County is just a great place with good people. The people who called to help were great,” May said. “The officers who responded were great and ultimately the child is safe with his parents and we're very happy with the outcome.”