After a 17-day search, officials with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department were reunited with their K-9, Radar.
On Sept. 22, Radar was lost after a car accident at the intersection of Burnt Bridge and Walkiah roads sent his cage flying through the air. The door came off and the dog ran off, Pearl River County Sheriff David Allison said in previous coverage.
Wednesday, Radar was found near the accident scene, a Hancock County Sheriff’s Department release states. He was noticeably emaciated and was then transported to a veterinarian’s clinic for evaluation, where he had a heartwarming reunion with his handler, Darryl Russell,
who has undergone one surgery and has several others scheduled for the future. The discovery of Radar will allow the handler to focus on his recovery without the stress and guilt and the dog’s whereabouts, the release states.
A veterinarian examined the dog and concluded Radar was emaciated, dehydrated and suffered from a few cuts and scratches, the release states.
Hancock County Sheriff Ricky Adam said they are glad to have Radar back.
“It took a lot of effort from everyone,” Adam said. “The Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department was instrumental in helping us recover Radar. We want to thank them very much.”
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Department’s press release said their department would also like to thank the Mississippi Blood Trailing Network who, at their own expense, provided personnel for search efforts and used their networking to provide tips, useful information and equipment in the search efforts. The department would also like to thank the community who offered monetary support for rewards and called in tips, the release states.
Sheriff Allison said he was excited to hear Radar was found alive.
“I especially want to thank everyone in the community who helped us look for him and called when they witnessed a sighting,” Allison said. “I also appreciated the volunteer firefighters at the Pine Grove Volunteer Fire Department for helping look for Radar. The volunteer firefighters throughout the county not only helped on this case but others as well.”