A police dog tracked down a missing mother and baby on his first day on the job.
Max, a newly licensed Dyfed-Powys Police dog, along with his handler PC Peter Lloyd, were called into action after reports came in that a woman had disappeared with her child in a remote location in Powys, Wales, on 1 August.
The two-year-old German Shepherd cross was able to cover a huge distance after a search was launched to find the missing mum and her one-year-old.
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Speaking about the case, Inspector Jonathan Rees-Jones praised Max for his heroics.
He said: "The woman had not been seen or spoken to for two days, which was out of character, and her phone wasn't working, so naturally concern for her safety was high.
"Response officers, neighbourhood policing teams and specialist search officers were dispatched to her home, and enquiries were carried out to try and trace her steps.
"Thanks to excellent work between teams, the woman's car was quickly found on a mountain road. Although this gave officers a location to search from, there was still a vast area to cover given the amount of time she had been missing.
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"This is where PD Max's tracking skills really came into play. Despite only recently becoming licensed, and on his first operational shift, he immediately commenced an open area search."
PD Max and PC Lloyd were assisted in the search by units from Brecon Mountain Rescue Team and a National Police Air Service helicopter, as well as receiving advice from a search expert.
And at around 1.30pm, the pair spotted the missing woman waving for help near a steep ravine on a mountainside.
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The mother and child were then pulled to safety and checked over by a Mountain Rescue doctor and the ambulance service.
Insp Rees-Jones added: "This was a fantastic coordinated and determined team effort from everyone involved, which no doubt ensured the safety of the mum and baby who were at significant risk of harm.
"I must give a special mention to PC Pete Lloyd and Max, who on their very first day since completing their training together covered a significant amount of mileage in the search, eventually locating them safe."
Max is a general purpose dog, whose main responsibilities are to track down and locate people in buildings and the open air, along with tracing discarded property and tracking and detaining suspects.
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PC Lloyd said: "I was really pleased that during our first operational deployment as a dog team, myself and Max were able to safely locate the missing mother and baby.
"Max remained focused throughout the long search and he proved invaluable when he reacted to the call for help which resulted in us locating them."
Featured Image Credit: Dyfed-Powys PoliceTopics: Dog, UK News, Inspirational