“This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.”
It may have been Max’s first day on the job as the Dyfed-Powys Police department’s newest police dog, but it didn’t take long for the 2-year old canine to show off his tracking skills.
Newly licensed Dyfed-Powys Police dog Max is a general purpose K9, who will primarily be used for tracking and locating people in buildings and open air, tracing discarded property, and tracking and detaining suspects.
He was called into duty at just before midday on Saturday, August 1, when the force received a call reporting the duo missing and immediately launched a search to find the mom and her one-year-old child.
Two-year-old Max swiftly put his training into action, covering a significant distance to find the missing mom and child on his very first day on the job.
“Thanks to excellent work between search teams, the woman’s car was quickly found on a mountain road. Although this gave officers a location to search from, there was still a vast area to cover given the amount of time she had been missing,” In a press release by Dyfed-Powys Police, Inspector Jonathan Rees-Jones said. “This is where Police Dog Max’s tracking skills really came into play. Despite only recently becoming licensed, and on his first operational shift, he immediately commenced an open area search.”
With support from Brecon Mountain Rescue Team and an NPAS helicopter, along with advice from a search expert, additional units were deployed to assist in searching the area which included a small reservoir and woodland.
Max and his handler, PC Peter Lloyd, covered a significant distance, and at around 1:30pm—after only an hour-and-a-half of searching—guided by Max, the officer spotted the missing woman waving for help near a steep ravine on the mountain side. She was helped down, and arrangements were made for her and her baby to be checked over by a Mountain Rescue doctor and the ambulance service.
“I must give a special mention to PC Pete Lloyd and Max, who on their very first day since completing their training together covered a significant amount of mileage in the search, eventually locating them safe,” Rees-Jones said.
Good job, Max!
