Gastonia police dog among top ‘courageous canines’

Bo, an 18-month-old police dog with the Gastonia Police Department, has been named a semi-finalist in the American Humane Society’s 15th Annual Hero Dog Awards.

Bo, a Bloodhound, has made several impressive finds in less than a year of working as a police dog. His first find occurred in October when he was only eight months old. Bo was able to track and find a young autistic child who was living with a foster family. Following news that he had been adopted, the boy became distraught and ran away. Complicating matters was that this incident began at about 11:30 pm on Halloween.

Two hours into the search, officers were still unable to locate the child, even with the assistance of drones.  Enter Bo: Officers brought in the canine and began tracking the child down the road and through the woods to a house about half a mile from where the search had started. Hiding behind a Halloween blow-up decoration, and frightened by the commotion, the child saw the officers approach and started running again. 

An officer stationed on the police perimeter was able to catch the child, but it was Bo who calmed him down.

Sgt. David Rowland, Bo’s handler and sergeant of the K-9 division for the Gastonia Police Department, explained that bloodhounds are curious but cautious, unlike German shepherds, who are naturally bold and brave. Bloodhounds must be conditioned to their environment and look to their handlers for encouragement. So, in locating the foster child, Bo showed great bravery in working through a new environment with many obstacles — like scary Halloween decorations blinking, “Boo!”-ing, and blowing in the wind.

A press release highlighted another notable incident in which Bo was able to track down robbery suspects despite heavy scent contamination. Despite the competing aromas, Bo was able to track and catch the suspects. 

Sgt. Rowland related another incident that took place in January, where Bo was able to help locate an elderly dementia patient who had escaped from a local facility in the cold of January. When staff discovered the patient missing, they called Gastonia PD and emergency services, and the search was on. After 12 hours and no luck, they called in Bo.

At about 19 degrees, it was a race against the clock, with a high concern that the patient may have fallen and in distress.

After Gastonia PD put out alerts for the missing patient on social media, someone in Lowell, east of Gastonia, reported they had let the missing person use their telephone, unaware of his status. From there, Bo tracked the patient to a grocery store, where he was found sitting on a bench. 

These anecdotes are just a few highlights from Bo’s budding career as a K9 officer. Voters are still able cast their vote for Bo in the American Humane Society’s 2024 Hero Dog Awards. 

“I’ve always been able to get my other dogs out. They were able to see the community, but nobody has been able to come up and pet the dog,” Sgt. Rowland told the Carolina Journal. “So, I can bring Bo out and let people interact with them, especially children. I think it’s huge to let the community come and see him, pet him, and learn about him.”