JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has a new member. The force introduced its newest K9 officer, Pepper, over social media Sunday.
Pepper is a 1.5-year-old bloodhound trained in Tallahassee. She is specially trained to help track down missing persons in even the roughest conditions. That includes snow, which she dealt with in this year’s rare winter storm.
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Read: Law enforcement uses K9 scent kits to make sure missing loved ones return home safe
Pepper will be handled by K9 Officer Clint Hart.
JSO says Pepper was able to come to Jacksonville thanks to a donation by ElderSource.
She will likely be a life-saver to elderly people in our area. Some of the most common missing persons cases dealt with in Jacksonville involve older people with dementia or alzheimer’s.
Scent-tracking K9s are also essential for finding autistic adults and children who are predisposed to wandering.
Jacksonville has a voluntary registry to help keep track of people who may be vulnerable, endangered or missing with developmental or cognitive disabilities. To register yourself or a loved one into the R.E.V.A.M.P. Duval database, click here.
Read: Special-needs child found unresponsive in Jacksonville retention pond, safety concerns raised
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