One of my rescues was in a park. I was with Sookie, who was resting before the search like she usually does. She knows what hard work searching can be. But, not me! I couldn't rest. I was alert and ready to go.

A two-year old little girl named Addie was missing. Her five-year old brother Parker and her parents, Ben and Carrie, were really worried. Parker and Addie were playing by a pond, but there was also a big forest where Addie could have gone.

Parker lets Sookie smell Addie's hat. Sookie's sharp sense of smell helps her pick up the scent right away.
Sookie's handler Paul asked if they had some clothes for Sookie to smell. Parker let Sookie sniff a hat that Addie left behind. A SAR dog can smell the shed skin cells from clothing.

We wanted to find Addie fast because it would be dark soon. Our teams split up to search a wide area. Sookie put her nose on the ground and started tracking Addie's scent heading for the pond where they played earlier.

I'm an air scent dog, so I put my nose up in the air and smelled for the scent any person that might be lost - hopefully Addie. As we walked into the woods, Jeff looked at me and said, "Okay Hunter, ready to go to work?"

I looked at Jeff with confidence and he scratched me behind the ears. "Search Hunter," Jeff said. "Find Addie." I mostly use my nose, but we also use our ears to hear someone and our eyes to look for people. That's why you should call for help if you're lost. Always stay where you are and don't move until I can bring help.

Hunter finds Addie crying by a tree. He then barks to alert his handler Jeff that he found the little girl.
Suddenly, I picked up a scent. Could this be Addie? Jeff saw my ears perk up and he knew I was onto something. "Find her, Hunter. Find Addie," said Jeff with excitement. I ran to where I picked up the scent. By a tree, I could see a little girl crying. I barked an alert so my handler Jeff would know I found someone. When I did, the little girl turned around and saw me standing there in my orange rescue vest. She smiled knowing I was a SAR dog and a friend. She ran to me and hugged my neck. Jeff bent down and asked the little girl, "Are you Addie?" She nodded her head and said, "Yes." Well, Addie," said Jeff, "This is Hunter and I'm Jeff. Your parents were worried about you and sent us to find you. Let's go home!"

It was getting dark, so Jeff had me wear a light. He used his flashlight to show the way, too. As we came out of the woods Addie's mom Carrie ran to hug her. Her dad Ben and brother Parker were right behind. They all gave Addie a big hug and told her how worried they were and not to ever go off by herself again. Ben and Carrie thanked Jeff for finding their daughter. Jeff looked at me and said, "It was Hunter who did all the work."