Compassion dog finds missing child in Brown County

BROWN COUNTY (KSNT) - When a frantic parent called the Brown County Sheriff's Office for help with a missing child, she couldn't have had a better outcome. That is because only two weeks after being certified as a compassion/drug dog, Carla, found the child safely curled under a blanket in the family's home.

Last week, the Brown County Sheriff's Office received a call from a mother who couldn't find her child, concerned an abduction was possible, she contacted law enforcement.

According to Sheriff John Merchant, deputies, including K-9 handler Deputy Trevor Fee, went to the home and immediately got to work searching for the missing child. Deputy Fee and Carla, a black lab, searched outside the home, however, the dog couldn't get a scent. When Deputy Fee went inside the home, Carla alerted the deputy and took him to the child, who had crawled under some blankets away from everyone, and went to sleep.

"It's so refreshing when we have the assets to help the public," Brown County Sheriff John Merchant said. "The mother was so grateful."

Sheriff Merchant said Brown County is one of the first to have a compassion/drug dog in the nation. The sheriff said consolidating those skill sets makes sense for rural counties that can not necessarily afford to keep two different dogs in a department.

Brown County's former drug-sniffing dog left when its handler accepted another assignment out of the county.

"When you have a traumatized child, or a victim of domestic abuse, the dog gives them something to relate to," Sheriff Merchant said.

Sheriff Merchant was thrilled his deputies could find the child and put the mother at ease.