ATLANTA — An Atlanta Police K9 missing since Tuesday after running away from his handler in Oconee County has been found safe.
“It’s kind of an embarrassing and unfortunate event, but it’s one of those things that does occur,” Atlanta Police Captain David Wilson tells WSB’s Jonathan O’Brien. “We’re very happy that all’s well that ends well.”
Early Tuesday morning the eight-year veteran APD K9 officer ran away from his handler after something in the woods. For several days officials have been combing the area.
“We were leveraging a lot of partnerships and resources in the search for Ben,” Wilson says. “We dispatched multiple units to assist in the search.”
Those resources included a Georgia State Patrol Helicopter and an Atlanta Police drone unit. Wilson says local law enforcement officers from the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office also played a critical role.
Ben’s handler found him early Thursday morning on a nearby property not far away from his home, he is now being evaluated by a veterinarian and will return to work in the coming days.
“At the end of the day he is an animal, he is a dog, his instincts kicked in and he chased after whatever it was that caught his attention,” Wilson says.
Good Morning!! Great News!! We just found Ben!!!! He is back with us!! He was in the horse pasture right behind us to the right. We went out walking the other dog hoping she would alert us to something and we heard a whimper in the tree line. Thank you so very very much to everyone for your help. We just can’t express our appreciation for the outpouring of love and support. We will try to be more low profile neighbors.
— Chrissy Dayton Todd on Facebook
The department thanked the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State Patrol, and media outlets for helping to locate K9 Ben.