A community search and rescue mission to locate and return the cherished dog of a child killed in a tragic vehicle accident was led by a police officer in Dothan, Alabama.
Kai, the 19-year-old McKenzie Amanda Grace Catron’s dog, fled the scene of the horrifying collision, which claimed her life.
Finding the dog was important to us, Sgt. Jonathan Whaley said WAGA. “We were prepared to go above and beyond to get this dog back with its family.”
Hundreds of local residents immediately joined Whaley and his fellow officers in their quest. They posted flyers, conducted a search of the crash scene, and even offered a reward.
Two days following the start of the search, Kai was discovered by attorney Benjamin Irwin, whose firm sponsored the reward.
“Until we finally created a loving wall when she went inside a persons shelter in their back yard, my wife and I, along with this wonderful couple Allen and Brittany, chased Kai for over a mile and up and down too many city streets and made multiple attempts to catch Kai,” Irwin wrote on Facebook, according to WAGA.
When it was first just me and the other gentleman Allen in the photo, it was incredible. My spouse then joined in as she happened to be in the vicinity looking as well. We sincerely apologize to everyone whose automobile we cut off or disregarded while we were only concerned with getting better [Kai].
“While running and driving through the city blocks and miles, we came across others who shared our interests and finally joined in to help as well. We were able to calm [Kai] down long enough for Brittany to be able to take her collar once we had eight people in total. We immediately gave Kai food and drink, but it was clear that she was too agitated and exhausted for either.
After being inspected by a veterinarian, Kai was discovered to be in fair health despite being exhausted and dehydrated. Irwin made the decision to provide the reward he had posted to Kai’s original animal sanctuary.
Sgt. Whaley stated, “Our world would be such a better place if everybody would react this way.”
The officer received a lot of praise from readers for going above and above to locate the puppy for the distraught family of the young lady.
One Facebook reader wrote, “Thank you, officer, for bringing a family member home so the family can start healing. Good job, sir. This is what true Americans do all the time. Step up and do the right thing.”
“I appreciate the officer taking this puppy home. Thank goodness he didn’t lose his family, but he did lose his friend. Someone else wrote, “You are a very special person.”
“God bless everyone who looked for her puppy, but especially the cop and his family who traveled to bring Kai back to her family, including the attorney. For his kind donation to the shelter,” said one other person.
