Meet Lassie—the dog who helped LMPD find a missing 3-year-old
By DeAndria Turner
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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — In January, the search for a missing 3-year-old ended in the best way possible, thanks to an unlikely hero.
Not all heroes wear capes. Some have four paws, and one dog played a critical role in the rescue.
“You a good boy,” said neighbor Sean Calloway.
We don’t know his real name, so for now, we’re calling him Louisville’s Lassie.
“You’re a hero,” Calloway added.
If you see paw prints winding through an Okolona neighborhood, there’s a good chance they belong to him.
“He’s always out here like this, but he’s a good dog,” Calloway said. “He’s always chasing me on my bike. He’s just having fun. He don’t bite nobody.”
According to Louisville Metro Police, the dog helped officers locate the missing 3-year-old on a cold January day.
“Anytime you have a kid that young, you’re fearful,” an officer said.
Officers used every resource: on-foot searches, a drone, and the air unit. Then, something unexpected happened.
“As I’m walking to the front, the craziest thing happened. A dog starts walking with me,” the officer said.
The dog wasn’t trained or commanded; he just moved with purpose, leading the officer to a backyard.
To the officers’ surprise, the boy was found in an SUV parked in the yard, terrified but safe.
“That’s God working through that animal,” Calloway said.
A search that could have ended in tragedy instead ended in relief, thanks to Louisville’s Lassie, who showed up when a little boy needed help the most.
According to neighbors, the dog has a home but wanders the neighborhood on warm days. A familiar face in the community, he is now a hero no one will forget.
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