Police Canine Goes from Doghouse to Hero

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:12 JST, February 20, 2021

KOBE — A male police dog that once abandoned its responsibility, has finally had its day.

The hero is a 2-year-old German Shepherd named Kreva, who located a missing elderly woman on Feb. 7 — just his fourth day back on the job after additional retraining — in a performance that earned him a commendation from the police.

According to the Hyogo Prefectural Police, the canine in October 2020 tore away from his leash under the watch of an identification unit officer during a search for a missing person.

Two days passed before authorities were able to track him down in the mountains.

His handlers contemplated removing him from service, but decided to retrain the animal after a nationwide wave of phone calls and email messages of support.

Kreva returned to the field after about 3 months away, and he was subsequently part of the Feb. 7 search for a woman in her 80s. After being given her scent, he tracked her down on a street in Chuo Ward, Kobe, in just 45 minutes. The woman was unharmed.

At an award ceremony at the Fukiai Police Station in Chuo Ward, he received a rubber chew toy shaped like a bone as a present.

Said an official at the headquarters of the prefectural police: “I want to continue working hard in drills with him and contribute to investigations.”