K9 officer finds missing toddler in Portland

Portland, Ore. (CNN Newsource/KOIN) — A 2-year-old boy is safe after a dramatic rescue involving search teams and police dogs.

One of the dogs led authorities to the boy whose mother said was missing when she woke up Saturday.

The dog’s trainer says finding the boy is a moment she will never forget.

Ava the German shepherd loves search and rescue missions.

During a massive, 6 hour search Saturday in northeast Portland, Ava led his handler and police to a missing 2-year old boy after the dog picked up human scent from behind a northeast Portland market about 2 blocks from the little boy’s home

Ava’s handler, Becky Irving said, “And all of a sudden she started dragging me, we, she just started dragging me. So I’m trying to keep up and she whipped around the corner of the building into this blackberry pile and basically I think she tried to avoid him because he kind of jumped up and as she did that, I looked down and there he was.”

Irving says the little boy was face down, wearing a diaper, shivering and cold. “I was teary eyed. I was kind of kind of hyperventilating because I was so excited, you know your mother instinct wants to just to reach down and grab him and hug him, and take off your clothes and get him all warm and cozy.”

The little boy held tight to a police officer.

He was taken to the hospital for exposure — but he’s okay.

Irving said, “I’m a mother first of all and um, if it were my child i would want someone to work that hard to find him.”

As for Ava — she got her normal reward, “She works for this, the ball.”

This time she also got a little extra — a big juicy steak.

This is actually Ava’s last year on the job. She’s slated to retire in December when she turns ten.

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