Doggy detective finds missing police canine

Fort Worth police officers lost one of their own on New Years Day when Loki, a search and rescue canine, chewed through the fence of his handler’s backyard and escaped into the streets of Fort Worth.

After searching for hours with a helicopter and police cruisers, Fort Worth police called in Godiva, a chocolate Labrador, from Dog Gone Detectives — a firm that specializes in finding lost pets.

Within 15 minutes, Godiva had hunted down Loki about a half mile away from the backyard where he escaped.



“Usually, it isn’t that easy,” said Kat Manning, the co-owner of Dog Gone Detectives. “We got on the trail. Then all of the sudden, I looked up and there he was. He was just hanging out.”

Godiva, who is used only to locate pets, has an 85 percent success rate, but it usually takes several hours or even days to find missing pets, Manning said. Searches cost $300 to start and another $500 if the pet is found.

Manning donated Godiva’s expertise to the Fort Worth Police Department. Media reports about the search have already helped boost business. “We’re getting pretty busy now,” she said.