82-year-old woman reported missing found by Vernon police dog

Mavrick, a Vernon, B.C.-area police pooch, put his nose to work and a woman living with dementia is safe because of it.

It was on a property in Spallumcheen at around 12:45 p.m. Saturday, when Mounties were called in to search for an 82-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

RCMP said she had wandered away from her property in the 4300-block of Chamberlain Road and given her medical condition and concern for her safety, an extensive ground search was initiated.

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RCMP said around 3:45 p.m, after several hours, police service dog Mavrick located the woman in a heavily-wooded area. She was uninjured and brought safely home.

“Our police service dogs are exceptional,” Const. Chris Terleski, media relations officer for the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP, said.

“They are an incredibly important part of our team and provide vital assistance to our front-line operations, particularly in situations like this where they can help us find a lost or missing person quickly.”