UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A North Carolina child is back home safe, thanks to the keen nose of a four-legged officer named Maverick.
On its Facebook page, the Union County Sheriff's Office said deputies were called to a residence earlier this month regarding a missing child.
While at the residence, the missing child's family gave deputies a blanket for Maverick, a white English Labrador, to use as a scent article, the department said.
The department said Maverick and his handler, Deputy Dye, immediately began tracking to find the missing child, which led them along a busy highway.
Shortly thereafter, the department said the child was found unharmed and returned safely back home to its family.
“We are proud of K9 Maverick and Deputy J. Dye for their hard work and dedication and consider them to be a huge asset for Union County," Sgt. Presson said in the Facebook post.
According to the sheriff's office, Maverick was donated to the department by a local family in 2021.
