When 90-year-old Loudell Hubbard went missing, there was only one man – or should we say dog – for the job.
Saby is a K-9 police dog who works with the Birmingham Police SRT K9 Unit. The German Shepherd has only been working with his handler, Officer Dustin Brock, for around two years, but he’s already become one of the most valued members of the team.
One day, Saby and Dustin were called to a serious situation. A woman who had dementia had gone missing in some woods near her home in Birmingham, Alabama.
It was a race against time to find Loudell, who was too vulnerable to be out at night by herself.
Thanks to Saby’s incredible scent detection skills, it wasn’t long until the officers were on the trail and getting closer to finding Loudell.
The poor woman had fallen into a creek, and after discovering that she couldn’t get out again, she’d used her purse as a makeshift pillow and laid down to rest.
While Loudell was soaking wet and covered in bruises, the situation could have been a lot worse.
It was incredibly fortunate that she had been found when she was- and without Saby, the team might not have ever discovered the vulnerable woman.
“It’s impossible for us to duplicate what he does and do his job as fast as he does,” Dustin WSET-TV, as he sung his praises for his canine partner’s abilities. “The same time Richard came around the corner Saby was pulling me towards the creek. I come around and she was laying in the creek.”
Since Loudell had been lying face down in the creek, officers were at first unsure if she was alive. So it was a relief when she lifted her head in response to their calls.
“I yelled ‘Ma’am can you hear me?’ She raised her head up and then we just went to her,” Officer Richard Wright recalled. “When we got the call, I was thinking if it was my grandmother I would hope someone would use all resources to go find her.”
Neighbor Frederick Jones said that locals kept faith that the elderly woman would be found.
The thought of her not returning back home again was almost too much to bear.
“At the time everyone was still hopeful,” he said. “They had faith and were positive.”
When they heard the news that Loudell had been found, everyone was ecstatic.
“It was joy,” Frederick said. “Everybody was thanking God and just elated. Really, it brought tears to your eyes that she was OK.”
There’s nothing more frightening than when a person with dementia goes missing. For many who have a progressed version of the disease, they are unable to look after themselves.
If they are away from the care of loved ones for too long, they may not even remember the basic lifesaving skills, like when to eat and drink, and how to cross a road safely.
We hope that Loudell makes a speedy recovery from her injuries! Watch the news story of her disappearance below.
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