A police dog that had been missing for seven days in the mountains was overjoyed to be found by his owner
After being rescued in the mountains where he had gone lost, a police dog had a happy reunion with his handler. Thames went missing while participating in a search and rescue training exercise in New Zealand’s Tararua Ranges.
Constable Mike Wakefield’s handler and New Zealand Police spent seven terrible days and nights searching for him.
The search crew (including Wakefield) discovered a muddy footprint on the seventh day of searching, giving them optimism that Thames was still alive. Soon after, they came across the 3-year-old German shepherd in the bush in a clearing.
“I whistled and called, but he ran off as if to say come this way, then came back and gave me a big lick,” Wakefield explained. When Thames spotted his friend, he couldn’t suppress his joy and jumped on him, kissing him.
Wakefield says in the video, “He’s pretty happy to see me,” before adding, “I’m pretty happy to see him.”
Fortunately, Thames recovered from his adventure in fine form, albeit a little thinner. He even made it out of the mountain range with his rescuers after a four-hour journey.
In a statement, Wakefield added, “He wolfed down half of my salami, which is a treat for him. I cuddled him and we had a great time. I couldn’t think of anything to say.”
