Missing child found by a K9 police dog with great winter tracking skills

A keen canine recently tracked down a child who had gone missing in frigid winter conditions.

Biza, a 3-year-old German shepherd-Belgian malinois mix who is a law enforcement K9 with the Auburn Police Department in Massachusetts, used her well-honed sense of smell and tracking skills to find a 12-year-old who had gone missing on the night of Jan. 31.

The boy had disappeared, without permission or his cellphone, two hours before police were called. The nature of the incident and the freezing weather called for quick action. Led by her handler, Officer David Ljunggren, Biza was dispatched and followed the child’s scent for more than two miles.

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Biza guided police officers and state troopers to a spot that showed recent signs of the child in question, and they were able to find him and reunite him with his family.

“We are proud of the hard work put in by K9 Biza and are happy to report a positive outcome!” the Auburn Police Department wrote in a Facebook post about the event.

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This isn’t the first time the police dog has come to the rescue in Auburn, which is about an hour’s drive west of Boston. In June, Biza found the driver of a crashed car who fled the scene. In August, she helped find a missing man in potential distress. In September, she tracked down a domestic violence perpetrator and found a suspect in a bar fight.

This smart pup came to the Auburn police from Germany in August 2022. She and Officer Ljunggren then underwent rigorous K9 training to prepare her to serve on the local force.

Here’s a pic of Biza on her “first day of school,” as shared by the Auburn police on X:

She became National Tactical Police Dog Association Patrol certified in January 2023. In May 2023, she completed the North American Police Work Dog Association training for both patrol and narcotics, passing all the tests on her first go. She also received training with the Northeast Houndsmen on tracking and trailing.

Biza continues to make a name for herself. She is Miss December in the Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog’s 2024 calendar. (Sorry, the calendars are all sold out!)

She also has an active Instagram page, with just under 2,000 followers at her handle @k9biza_apd. A recent clip shows Biza training for snow tracking, much like she must have done on Jan. 31 when she helped find the missing 12 year old.

We’re looking forward to keeping up with this good girl’s future police work!