MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Police K-9 Gael is back with his handler after a nearly weeklong community search, the Miami Gardens Police Department announced Sunday.
“Gael has been found and is SAFE,” the department said in an official Facebook update. The agency thanked community members and partner organizations for sharing information, calling in tips and helping search.
Gael is a 2-year-old Labrador. Local reports say he went missing Monday night while officers were responding to a business alarm. Local 10 reported that surveillance video showed him running past businesses after leaving a police cruiser near Northwest Second Avenue.
A search that became a community effort
Police appealed to the public as the search continued through the week. Local 10 reported that mobile command vehicles were used and officers went door to door. Department spokesperson Diana Delgado said during the search that the agency's K-nines are special to the department and receive extensive training.
NBC 6 South Florida reported that surveillance video showed Gael being struck by a vehicle before he continued running. The outlet's Sunday update said police had found him safe and reunited him with his handler.
A WSVN report published Monday also says the Labrador was back home. At publication time, police had not publicly detailed exactly where or how Gael was found, and local reports did not confirm whether he suffered an injury.
What is verified — and what remains undisclosed
The department's own post establishes the central outcome: Gael was found and was safe. Three South Florida newsrooms identify him as a 2-year-old Miami Gardens Police Labrador who disappeared during an alarm response and was later reunited with his handler.
ThinBlueNews is not filling gaps in the public record. The exact recovery location, who located Gael and any veterinary findings remain undisclosed in the sources reviewed.
Sources and visual disclosure
- Miami Gardens Police Department — official “Gael is home” update, Sept. 13, 2026.
- Local 10 — “Miami Gardens police announce they’ve found missing K-9 officer,” published Sept. 13 and updated Sept. 14.
- WSVN 7News — “Miami Gardens Police K-9 found safe nearly a week after going missing,” published Sept. 14.
- NBC 6 South Florida — “Miami Gardens Police find missing K-9 that was struck by car,” published Sept. 13.
- Wikimedia Commons — “CCSDPD Yellow Labrador K9 in Valley HS Cafeteria,” Noah Wulf, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Source boundary: the safe-recovery statement comes directly from Miami Gardens Police. The incident sequence and surveillance-video description are attributed to named local news reports. ThinBlueNews did not independently witness the search or recovery.
Visual note: the featured image is authentic licensed contextual photography of a different civilian police Labrador. It is not Gael, Miami Gardens or the incident. No dog, officer, scene or documentary evidence was synthesized.
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