You’ve heard all about our “pit bull” detection dogs. You know that they keep drugs off of the streets. What you might not know is that that’s only part of their job.
The dogs and the police officers with whom we place them help their communities in all types of ways – including keeping children safe.
On May 12, K9 Colt and Officer Bri Mecca reunited an autistic boy with his family.
After receiving a call that the boy had run away, something which is common for people with autism, multiple officers attempted to talk to the boy and get him to ride in their car back to his family. They were all unsuccessful.
But Officer Mecca knew she had something the other officers didn’t – a dog.
She asked the little boy if he liked dogs and the child gave an enthusiastic yes.
Officer Mecca told us:
“I [asked him], ‘would you like to see mine? He’s in the car’. The child perked up and walked with me as if nothing was going wrong.”
When K9 Colt got out of the car the boy was so excited. His presence broke through the barrier none of the other officers could find their way around. Officer Mecca asked if Colt could walk the boy home. Again, his response was an enthusiastic yes!
The three of them walked to the boy’s apartment building. Colt gave the boy kisses on the elevator ride up to his home!
Officer Mecca’s quick thinking and K9 Colt’s gentle personality reunited a boy with his family.
Our “pit bull” detection dog program isn’t just about fighting crime, it’s about communities and family.
