Hero dog leads officers straight to missing 3-year-old in newly released body cam video

A neighborhood dog helped authorities in Louisville, Kentucky, find a missing 3-year-old boy last month in a dramatic rescue seen in newly released body camera footage, according to police.

More than half a dozen officers from the Louisville Metro Police Department responded on Jan. 7 after receiving a report of a missing young child. They launched an urgent search on foot, with a drone and helicopter overhead as they tried to locate the child, the department said in a social media post Monday. 

But they had no luck — until an unexpected hero stepped in. Seemingly out of nowhere, a dog appeared and started barking at one of the responding officers.

“As I’m walking to the front, the craziest thing happened. There’s a dog,” officer Josh Thompson said. “It would bark at me to tell me to hurry up. It led me all the way to the backyard. At that point I’m thinking, OK, this kid’s in the backyard.”

Sure enough, the dog led officers straight to a car and sat near the back bumper. The child was inside the vehicle unharmed and was quickly reunited with his family, police said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a happier kid in my life. He jumped out of the car, bear hugged my neck and wouldn’t let go,” Thompson said.

He added, “I don’t know where the dog came from, but it was a blessing from God that day.”

It’s still unknown where the dog came from or who it belongs to, police said.

The Louisville Metro Police Department credited the officers and their “four-legged friend who reminded us that heroes come in all forms.”