Police Dog Helps Find Missing 8-Year-Old Boy
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Lake County police dog helped some anxious parents in the far northern suburbs find their missing son on Monday.
The 8-year-old boy had been missing from his home in a subdivision in Hainesville for about an hour Monday evening, when Lake County Sheriff's Deputy Craig Somerville and his canine partner, Diesel, were called in at 7:30 p.m. to help local police search for the child.
"They used a pillow the boy uses as a way of Diesel learning the scent of the 8-year-old boy. Following that, Diesel began an immediate track, and within 5 to 10 minutes, Diesel located the 8-year-old boy," said Lake County Sheriff's Police Sgt. Chris Covelli.
Diesel, a 3-year-old German shepherd, found the boy unharmed, hiding in some bushes near an air conditioning unit. He was promptly reunited with his parents, who were "extremely thankful," according to Covelli.
"Obviously, temperatures were somewhat warm, but it's nighttime, and an 8-year-old boy that's missing, that's a very serious call. Any child that goes missing is a very serious call," Covelli said.
Covelli said Diesel is one of four dogs working for the sheriff's office, assisting in searches for drugs, explosives, and missing people.
The dogs – German shepherds named Diesel, Boomer, Dax, and Duke – train at least twice a week to stay sharp.