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Good boy, Ruger! A hero police pup followed his nose to find a missing autistic teen in a Florida parking lot, leading police straight to the rescue.
The high-stakes hunt kicked off on April 21 after the terrified youngster vanished from his home, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.
That’s when K-9 Ruger and his partner, Officer Chris Havens, swooped in to save the day. The four-legged officer smelled the missing teen’s sock and began his search, police said.
K-9 Ruger with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office helped locate a missing teenager with autism on April 21, 2026. (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office)
Body camera video captured the rescue, with Ruger not missing a beat and dragging patrol officers through the brush and down to the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Ryar Road.
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The “paws-itive” ending came when cops heard the boy’s screams for help coming from a nearby business lot.
“You did a good job calling us over,” an officer is heard telling the teen in the body camera video. “When you see the police, you say something to them.”
“We’re glad we found you, we were getting really worried,” he said.
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K-9 Ruger and Officer Chris Havens responded to reports of a missing teenager, using the scent from his sock to track him, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office)
After a checkup, the boy was reunited with his frantic family.
“When your loved one goes missing, we deploy our best tools to find them quickly and safely,” the department said.
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A Jacksonville police dog is being praised after successfully tracking a missing autistic teenager by following the scent from a sock. (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office via Facebook)
As for Ruger, police said that the dog earned himself a chew toy.
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“Because he was able to lead officers close to the missing teen, K9 Ruger earned himself his favorite toy and plenty of ‘Good boy!’s!”
