Welsh police dog nails his first search operation, rescues mother and baby from treacherous ravine

That's quite a start to Max's career

Ayesha Ghaffar
Aug 06, 2020  •  August 6, 2020  •  2 minute read
Max and his handler, officer Lloyd. Photo by Deyfd-Powys Police website

When duty calls, a trained police dog listens, and that’s what happened in Wales on Saturday when a mother and her baby were reported missing, the Guardian reports.

Policeman Peter Lloyd and his two-year-old German Shepherd cross named Max were sent out on their first-ever search operation by the Dyfed-Powys Police of Wales, and helped to trace the whereabouts of the mother and one-year-old, who were found at “the edge of a ravine after spending the night outdoors,” police said in a release.

PD Max's tracking skills really came into play, despite only recently becoming licensed, and on his first operational shift

The newly licensed Max covered a vast area during the operation, nailing a search effort which has been commended by officers. Inspector Jonathan Rees-Jones said prompt action had been required to find the pair, who were felt to be in danger.

“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,” he said.

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As well as the efforts of Max and his handler Lloyd, specialist search officers and neighbourhood police had joined forces to reach the woman’s house, trying to find clues that would help them to locate the mother and daughter. Once they found a car, Max took over.

“Thanks to [the] 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,” inspector Rees-Jones said.

Help from the Brecon Mountain Rescue Team, a Police Air Service helicopter, and some advice from a search expert let officers train their efforts around a reservoir and woodland area, the Guardian reported.

But it was Max and Officer Lloyd who first spotted the missing woman, who waved her hands for help near a steep ravine mountainside as they came into view. After the rescue, the mother and baby were medically inspected by doctors at the site.

Inspector Rees-Jones lauded the joint efforts of Officer Lloyd and Max — deeming it an impeccable performance on their first day out.

Max will continue to assist the force on search and tracking operations, helping to find missing people and suspects alike. Officer Lloyd, who himself only joined the force in February of this year, said he was impressed by the dog’s focus, and was glad that together, they got the job done.