Maine is extra thankful for their game warden and his tracking dog after they found a missing three-year-old little boy, Emmitt.

The child had been missing for almost 2 hours on May 31, 2020.

Emmitt had been reported missing around 1:15 PM after he had been playing at the beach.

First responders searched the area near the beach and the marine patrol officers took to the bay to search the waters. A parent’s worst fear.

Washington County’s Sheriff’s Department Deputy Jim Malloy and his team caught Emmitt’s scent and followed the track to about two-tenths of a mile from his home before they lost his scent. There were eight police, sheriff and fire departments involved in the hunt.

That’s when Game Warden Alan Curtis and his tracking dog, Sig, caught up to them.

One of the game cameras caught Emmitt at the residence indicating they were in the right area.

Sig and Curtis joined Malloy and his team to search for Emmitt. Sig picked up the boy’s scent after joining the team.

They found Emmitt roughly 10 minutes later.

Emmitt was sitting in the thick woods behind a large overturned tree. He was a quarter of a mile into the woods and half a mile from where he was playing on the beach.

That’s quite a ways to travel for a three-year-old.

Reports said that Emmitt had wet feet and was tired (we can imagine so) but otherwise in great condition.

A truly happy ending for all involved.

It’s a good thing they had Sig on the job!

There’s actually a difference between tracking dogs and trailing dogs and the capabilities they hold.

Often times, tracking and trailing are used interchangeably but they are pretty different in terms of how the dog performs. It all stems from the training they receive.

A tracking dog will use scents on the ground. The idea, according to Police One, is that when a print is made on the ground by a human, it disrupts the ground and leaves an odor. Sorry, we all have one a dog can pick up!

When a dog reaches the hard surface, it is a little more difficult to get a tracking scent because the ground is not disrupted. There may be bits of dirt and rock brought onto the hard surface, but often the tracking stop there.

That’s when you need a trailing dog.

Trailing dogs can pick up a scent anywhere. Trailing allows a dog to use their natural scent abilities and are given a little bit more freedom than tracking dogs.

Both are incredibly useful for different reasons and their training is intense because the job they do is intense.

Any athlete will have heard the statement saying how you practice is how you will show up on game day – and it is the same for these pooches. They train hard so they can do the job that no one else can.

We can all be grateful for their handwork.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Q106.5, BDN Down East, Police One