The Incredible Rescue of a Six-Year-Old Girl by a Canine Hero

About a month and a half ago, a six-year-old girl named Kinzley Reader disappeared from her home in Tennessee, USA.

Initial police investigations suggested she was likely kidnapped by her father, Nicholas Reader, and they had every reason to believe the girl's life was in danger.

Officers had been trying to trace their whereabouts without success until about a week ago when a report was received from passersby that Reader had arrived with his daughter at a vast parking area known as 'Bean Ridge,' where he parked his camper.

Police who responded to check the report brought along a K9 dog named Fred, who has an exceptional sense of smell.

Thanks to his amazing sense of smell, Fred successfully tracked a 13-year-old boy last year who had vanished under similar circumstances. "Fred did an excellent job. He stayed on the trail at all times and knew exactly what his task was," said Deputy Richard Tidwell, Fred's handler. "This breed of dogs can do things that human officers cannot, like finding a person using their sense of smell.

"And of course, this skill plays a crucial role when it comes to finding missing individuals. Time is of the essence, especially when the missing person is a young child.

This time, the officers let Fred sniff Nicholas Reader's clothing. "We drove to the parking area where he had parked his camper and released Fred. He took the path leading to a pile of logs, sniffed the door of the nearby camper and the door handle, and then sat down—a clear sign that the father was present," the officers recounted.

When a reinforced team arrived at the location, they discovered the door was locked and fortified from the inside. Sgt. James Holloway reported that when they surrounded the house, they saw through the back window that Kinzley was hidden behind blankets hanging on an improvised clothesline. Nicholas Reader was arrested and will be charged with neglect and kidnapping, and the dog who found her was awarded a badge of honor.