Monty is a very good dog from Wisconsin. But the rescued black lab became a neighborhood hero when he found a stolen gun.
At first, Monty’s owner, Sandi Heinemann, didn’t know what her dog was sniffing on their walk. Like most dogs, Monty sniffed lots of things outside, but her lab was clearly focused on one particular object.
“He was really intent on it,” Sandi Heinemann told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “The last time he was so intent on an object was when he saw a dead fish near a pond.”
Sandi initially assumed 1.5-year-old Monty–who has loved “hunting” for objects ever since he was adopted–had probably found a dead squirrel. The rescued lab is especially fond of finding objects in local parks and woods.
But as Wisconsin woman looked closer, she realized Monty had actually recovered a loaded gun. “My jaw just dropped,” said Sandi, who quickly called the police.
When police arrived at the scene, they discovered Monty had found a pistol stolen 2 weeks before. Police knew the 18-year-old suspect had tossed the weapon in this area as he fled, but the department’s own tracking dog, K-9 Arek, still couldn’t find it. The stolen gun remained missing until Monty found it on his walk.
In addition to helping officers find the missing weapon, the heroic dog saved lives by finding the gun in an area popular with kids. “I was told black Labs are good for tracking and hunting,” Monty’s owner told the paper. In this case, Monty’s talent for retrieving objects likely saved children from danger.
“It could have had a tragic ending,” Germantown Police Chief Mike Snow told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “It (the firearm) had a chance of it being used.”
Now grateful officers have made Monty an honorary K-9 officer to celebrate the rescued dog’s heroism. Monty was also rewarded with a certificate of excellence and free treats from a local pet store.
“I let him pick out treats,” said Ken Manske, who owns a pet store called The Vault. Describing Monty as “very calm, cool, and relaxed,” Manske believes officers should promote this pup to be an actual police K-9.
“This (situation) could have turned into something much worse as that is near a place where kids play,” said Manske. “It is an awesome thing the dog did. Here is an average dog that did what dogs with a lot of training did.”
We couldn’t agree more. Great work, Monty. What a good boy!
This article was originally published on The Animal Rescue Site.