Max the police dog finds missing mother and baby on his first ever shift

A police dog found a missing mother and baby on the steep edge of a mountainside after the pair had been stranded outdoors all night.

Newly licensed police dog Max and his handler PC Peter Lloyd, of Dyfed-Powys Police, helped to track down the woman and her one-year-old child in a remote location in Wales.

The two-year-old German Shepherd cross was called into duty at just before 12pm on August 1, when the force received a call reporting the pair missing in Powys.

He covered a significant distance to find the pair, eventually locating them near a steep ravine at 1.30pm.

Inspector Jonathan Rees-Jones 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 inquiries 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.

“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.”

Police were joined by the Brecon Mountain Rescue team and an NPAS helicopter to search the area, which included a small reservoir and woodland.

But less than two hours after joining the effort, Max guided PC Lloyd to the missing woman, who was waving for help near a steep ravine on the mountainside.

After being helped down, she and her baby were checked over by a Mountain Rescue doctors and the ambulance service.

“They were safe, but cold, and appeared to have been in the area for a significant amount of time,” Inspector Rees-Jones said.

“This was a fantastic co-ordinated 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.”

Having only joined the Dyfed-Powys Police dog section in February, PC Lloyd was on his first operational shift with Max when the missing persons report came in.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

(c) Sky News 2020: Max the police dog finds missing mother and baby on his first ever shift