A sheriff’s K-9 helped search teams find three young children safe after they wandered roughly a mile and a half from their family’s campsite near Buena Vista, Colorado, authorities said.

Chaffee County sheriff’s deputies were sent to the Midland Bike Trail east of Buena Vista at about 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, after a family reported the children missing. The group had noticed around 9 a.m. that the children—one age 9 and two age 6—were gone and searched for approximately two hours before calling law enforcement, according to the sheriff’s office account reported by local and regional news outlets.

A search on the ground and from the air

Chaffee County Search and Rescue joined the response. Multiple drones, a helicopter and foot teams were deployed as crews began grid searches across the wilderness terrain.

The sheriff’s office also brought in K-9 deputy Archie, known as Arch. The dog picked up a scent from the campsite almost immediately and began leading searchers in the direction the children had traveled, the agency said.

As Arch continued on the track, search-and-rescue teams moved toward higher ground along the same line. Those teams then spotted the children from an elevated position.

Searchers located the three children at about 2 p.m., approximately 1.5 miles from the campsite. All three were uninjured and in good health, according to the sheriff’s office, and they were reunited with their family.

A team effort with a clear result

Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich credited the county’s volunteer search-and-rescue personnel and their coordination with Arch.

“We are so fortunate in Chaffee County to have such a highly trained and dedicated search and rescue team of volunteers for these terrifying moments,” Rohrich said in the agency’s account. “Now adding our buddy Arch to the team, as a tool, I would match this team against any other in the state. I am very proud of them all.”

The outcome reflects what a coordinated missing-person response can bring together: family members who raised the alarm, deputies establishing the search, volunteer teams working difficult terrain, air resources widening the view and a trained K-9 narrowing the direction of travel.

In this case, that shared effort ended with the most important result—three children found safe.

Sources

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