Chase was on the case Thursday morning in Kelowna after being called in to help search for a senior who had walked away from Kelowna General Hospital (KGH).
The Labrador retriever was part of the Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) effort that recovered the 86-year-old, found suffering from severe hypothermia, according to the search organization.
COSAR crews were called out at 2 a.m. to assist Kelowna RCMP in locating the man, who had just had surgery.
“Ground crews on foot and ebikes searched the area along Abbott Street and at 8 a.m., a team found the missing subject’s backpack,” COSAR said in a press release.
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Chase, a search dog that was only deployed to COSAR duties two weeks ago, was brought onto the scene and located the unwell man lying under a pile of leaves, COSAR said.
The two-year-old dog is said to be the equivalent of 20 ground personnel, according to COSAR search manager Keven Birnie.
Handler Terry Downs and Chase have completed more than 2,000 hours of training, according to the search team.
“He proved his worth today,” Birnie said.
The 86-year-old was brought back to KGH for medical treatment.
