A child who was wandering around by himself in North Carolina found his way home thanks to a police dog named Remi. Remi is a bloodhound — a breed known for its amazing sense of smell — and he and Deputy B. Belk "decided to attempt a reverse K-9 track," according to a news release from the Union County Sheriff's Office in Monroe, North Carolina.
Their approach was not exactly conventional, Lieutenant Public Information Officer James Maye explained to CNN, as they will typically "track from where a person left to try to find where that person is currently."
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In this case, they did the opposite. On July 7, 2024, someone called 911 to report that they had spotted a child wandering alone on Waxhaw Indian Trail Road. After arriving in the area, deputies were unable to figure out where the child's family lived, because the child was autistic and nonverbal, the news release explained. This is why Deputy B. Belk and Remi tried a "reverse" K-9 track, even though it's different from what is usually done.
Using sterile gauze, Deputy Belk was able to collect the child's scent from his forearms and the back of his neck, per the news release. Remi then used the scent to identify the path that the child had traveled to get there. After traveling for about a half mile, they reached the boy's home.
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Remi's work seems impressive and challenging, but Deputy Belk trusted that Remi would be able to get the child home and reunite him with his family, as the deputy has been training Remi since he was an 8-week-old puppy, reported ABC11.
When Remi and Deputy Belk helped the child reunite with his family, they determined that the boy left his home "in a secretive manner" and "no criminal offenses had occurred."
