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ARCHIVED - Alicante fire rescue dog sniffs out missing 80-year-old woman
The octogenarian had been reported missing from her Alicante city centre home by family members 24 hours earlier
The incredibly sensitive nose of Alicante fire rescue dog Kira has helped locate an 80-year-old Alicante woman reported missing by frantic family members 24 hours earlier.
A joint search operation was activated to find the elderly lady at around 9pm on Sunday February 19, involving Local Police and Alicante's Canine Unit of the Fire Prevention, Fire Fighting and Rescue Service (SPEIS).
And it was Kira's nose that ensured the tale had a relatively happy ending.
The family provided a description of the woman and the SPEIS Canine Unit of course asked the family for an item of clothing in the hope of establishing and even following the missing woman's movements in the vicinity of her home.
Firefighters began the search with the help of trusted Kira, specifically trained for 'mantrailing' and with the octogenarian's scent, the dog reacted at a doorway in Calle Calderón de la Barca in the heart of the city.
A series of calls were made to the emergency service coordination centre and it was soon discovered an 80-year-old woman had been treated in that very area by a SAMU ambulance team.
The woman, who matched the description, had fallen and been admitted to ICU at San Juan Hospital. She is believed to be stable, to the relief of her family.
SPEIS is equipped with a group of firefighters specialised in the search and rescue of missing persons. They are responsible for training the Firefighters' Canine Unit's dogs so that they can participate in the tasks such as tracing, searching and rescuing victims, among other services.
Praise has been heaped on Kira, not only by her emergency service colleagues, but also by the city council for her "exceptional work".
Image: Ayuntamiento de Alicante
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