WIMAUMA, Fla โ An 11-year-old girl is safe thanks to the help of a K-9 dog with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Friday night in Wimauma.
At 7:57 p.m. a deputy and her K-9 arrived at the 16000 block of Carlton Lake Drive to help search for a missing and endangered girl, the sheriff's office said in a social media post.
The two then tracked the child to a neighbor's house where they discovered the people inside the home had given her a ride to a nearby apartment complex that was still in Wimauma, deputies say.
At the apartment complex, the K-9 was able to alert authorities of a locked bathroom door at a park near the apartments.
In a video included in the social media post, the K-9 can be seen sniffing the bathroom door.
"She does have happy tail over here at these bathrooms, which she only does when she's close to somebody," the K-9's deputy said in the video.
The deputy told the girl in the locked bathroom that she was not in trouble but needed to know if she was OK.
The 11-year-old then walked out of the bathroom. Deputies say she was safe and did not have any injuries.
"Our teamHCSO K9 Unit has once again proven its invaluable role in our community," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "With their exceptional skills, they successfully located and brought home a missing 11-year-old girl, reuniting her safely with her family.
"I couldn't be prouder of our team's commitment to service and determination to protect and serve."
To reward the K-9, the deputy let the dog play with and be petted by the child.