The Lee County Sheriff’s Office in Fort Myers, Florida is recognizing one of their own after their furry hero was able to find a missing child during tropical Storm Elsa.

A Facebook post saw their K9, Mercy, enjoy the spotlight after taking part in Sheriff Carmine Marceno’s Reunite Program. The dog was brought in to help search for the missing child.

The poor 12-year-old was reported as missing and endangered all while Elsa tore through the state.

July 3 saw Elsa weaken into a tropical storm. Slowing down on July 4, Elsa made its way just north of Jamaica before making landfall in Cuba on July 5. The stormed found its way into the Gulf of Mexico early the next day.

Elsa began to move along the west coast of Florida, turning into a minimal hurricane west of Tampa early on July 7. Elsa then weakened again into a tropical storm, making landfall with 65 mph (105 km/h) winds in Taylor County near Steinhatchee, Florida.

Elsa still brought heavy rain with winds that wreaked havoc across the coast. One person in Jacksonville was killed with ten others reported injured thanks to the fallen trees, power outages, and floods caused by the storm which was even classified as a hurricane for a part of its stay.

In the Facebook post, authorities said that “Despite severe weather from Tropical Storm Elsa, Mercy tracked the little girl for more than half a mile through thick woods.”

They then went on to say that, “Mercy found her and brought her safely back home to her family.”

Good dog! Good girl!

Mercy was of course deemed a hero. The rescue team would have wasted all its efforts had it not been for this amazing K9!

The 12-year-old had reportedly run away from home, with her family reporting her missing earlier in the week as a result. They were even more worried knowing that a storm was approaching.

It is a place notorious for powerful storms that can destroy homes.

“In addition to the child’s age, the weather conditions contributed to the urgency of the call,” they said.

The child’s identity was hidden but as soon as Mercy found her and she was brought in, it was publicly announced that the girl was safe. It was the female bloodhound’s amazing work with her handler, Deputy Travis Jelly.

Everyone was relieved that the missing girl was found safe and sound.

Lee County Sherrif Carmine Marceno’s Reunite Program was created with United Way and the Sheriff’s Youth Activities League with the aim of being a unique and multi-layered way of locating missing persons.

The program is clearly working. Selfless people are needed for such efforts. Men and women who don’t mind working with incredible dogs like Mercy. Their missions are matters of life and death.

Mercy certainly deserved all the attention and recognition but it’s love and affection she probably wanted more. A nice treat or a dish full of food surely waited for her when she got back.

Excellent work, officer Mercy!

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site, Facebook