Search and rescue: how a dog named Freyja found a lost child
As the sun dipped below the horizon and temperatures plummeted in Dorchester, New Hampshire, a community rallied around a frantic mother in desperation as she reported her two-year-old daughter and two family dogs missing. Volunteers and search teams quickly mobilised, racing against the clock in the treacherous wooded terrain that soon became a scene of both anxiety and determination.
At approximately 3:15 p.m. on October 10, the mother made the heart-stopping call to 911 from her home, where the little girl and the dogs had vanished from a secured front yard. The family’s dogs had reportedly pushed through a poorly secured area where a wooden fence met a metal wire fence, prompting fears that the young child had wandered off with them.
“It’s thick forests and swamps,” said Sgt. Christopher McKee of New Hampshire Fish and Game, emphasising the challenges faced by searchers in the area. With evening fast approaching and temperatures dropping below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the urgency to locate the toddler escalated.
Within 30 minutes, a team consisting of state troopers, local firefighters, and over 90 volunteers began scouring the dense, challenging landscape. McKee noted, “Everybody dropped what they were doing… the overwhelming support was truly remarkable.”
Among those who answered the call for help was Jeremy Corson and his search-and-rescue dog, Freyja, who travelled more than 40 miles from Concord to join the effort. Corson, a seasoned volunteer of 13 years with New England K9 Search and Rescue, understood the gravity of the situation. “Time is of the essence with a 2-year-old,” he explained. “The more time passes, the more they can travel.”
Though two hours into the search a volunteer discovered the toddler’s shoes, neither the girl nor the dogs had been located. Shortly thereafter, the family’s dogs returned home, raising the concerns of rescuers. The girl, barefoot and clad only in thin pink leggings and a light sweater, was left without her furry companions for warmth as night fell.
Just before 8 p.m., nearly five hours after the girl had gone missing, Freyja’s keen sense of smell led Corson to the moment they had all been hoping for. “She started picking up a scent of a person,” he recounted. “The dog and the handler are very much a team.” As they moved deeper into the thicket, Corson called out the girl’s name. To his astonishment, he received a cheerful response.
“You can’t help but be extremely excited,” Corson enthused, recalling how the little girl mistook him for her father. Immediately, he wrapped her in warm clothes, noting she was about half a mile from home. “That doesn’t mean that’s how far the child went, that’s just where the child ended up,” he clarified, revealing the difficult conditions of the thick woods that had concealed her.
After a strenuous trek through the dense underbrush, Corson safely carried the girl back to her family, where an ambulance awaited. The reunion was joyous and emotional; the girl’s mother broke down in tears of relief when her child was returned. “Mom was very happy… she declared she was ready for a bath and bedtime,” McKee shared, adding that the child would be evaluated for any injuries or signs of hypothermia.
Reflecting on the significance of the day’s events, McKee noted that the outcome may have been dramatically different without the combined efforts of human and canine volunteers. “The dogs are just crucial,” he said. Corson, proud of Freyja’s instinctual abilities, rewarded her with a new ball and affection, expressing gratitude for their teamwork. “All the work she does is incredible,” he said.