Police: K9 German Shepherd Tracks Down Missing Massachusetts 12-Year-Old

A police dog became a hero when she tracked down a missing 12-year-old lost in the freezing Massachusetts temperatures on Wednesday, authorities said.

The Auburn Police Department (APD) was alerted to a missing child who had left home on Wednesday evening about two hours after last being seen in the Pakachoag Hill area of the town.

Due to the “freezing temperatures and nature of the incident,” APD said it worked with detectives, Massachusetts State Troopers, and a K9 unit to locate the child.

Officer David Ljunggren and his K9 partner Biza were deployed to the area, where the female German Shepherd picked up a scent. 

“K9 Biza tracked for a length of over two miles and led Officers to an area where evidence showed that the child had been present a short time earlier,” the department said. “Officers converged on this area and located the child a short time later.”

The unidentified child was safely reunited with family, and police credited Biza with the rescue.

“We are proud of the hard work put in by K9 Biza and are happy to report a positive outcome!”

According to the department’s website, Auburn’s only K9 unit is Officer Ljunggren and his partner, Biza. 

“Most importantly, K9’s are oftentimes used to locate missing children, missing elderly persons, or persons with disabilities who have [wandered] off,” officials said. “The media likes to portray Police K9s as ‘attack dogs,’ but in reality, an apprehension where a K9 bites a suspect occurs less often than people realize.”