Another law enforcement feel-good story! I am always happy to spotlight the good work done by the first responders and law enforcement personnel of our nation, especially when it incorporates the deployment of their wonderful K-9 units. Like much of law enforcement, these units are too often on the chopping block due to costs.
Budget cuts to these departments hamper what is needed, not just for maintenance and care of the animals, but the ability to pay for and improve upon training, expansion capabilities, and resources like protective gear and equipment. Because these units serve multiple communities, especially smaller towns and cities, the collaboration between police departments is essential, as in the case of locating a missing person.
Two- and four-legged heroes are the subject of this week's Feel-Good Friday.
A 13-year-old autistic boy in Fort Pierce, FL, was getting his workout on at a local gym. Once he was done, he normally went to the parking lot to wait to be picked up; but this time he walked outside and then quickly disappeared.
Autism Speaks talks about the benefits of children with autism incorporating physical activity into their day to help with not only mental and physical well-being, but improved socialization. It was apparently working for this young boy, as he was a regular at the gym; his family trusted that he would be looked after. And he was. It was because the owner of the gym was observing the boy as he waited in the parking lot that he noticed when the boy disappeared so suddenly.
Fort Pierce Police say the boy was reported missing at about 5:20 p.m. Monday.
The Fort Pierce Police Department received a report of a missing child at a gym on March 2. The boy had just completed a workout at Live Well Fitness Center, Hometown Gym, 2732 South U.S. Highway 1 and had walked out to the car and he was waiting for a family member to come to the car when the gym owner said the boy ran off.
"He had walked out of the door, normally, as he always does and in seconds, he was gone," said Nicholas Burgos, owner, Live Well Fitness Center, Hometown Gym.
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Here is where coordination became critical. The Fort Pierce Police did a foot search, and used drones to sweep the area. When these were unsuccessful in finding the boy, they asked the neighboring Port Saint Lucie Police to employ their K-9 unit. A bloodhound named Hoot was put on the trail of the boy.
“They are picking up that odor, that scent, whether it’s sweat, things of that nature,” said Officer Brittany McNally. “They have a much better keen sense of smell than humans do.
After the boy’s scent was detected, Hoot led the officers to him, who was found about a mile from the gym in the woods alongside the railroad tracks.
“It’s absolutely incredible, I mean, who doesn’t love a good K-9 story with a great outcome and reuniting that family with that child? This is just a great, great outcome,” said McNally.
K-9 Hoot is a local hero in Port St. Lucie. She has helped locate and save four missing children in just two years.
See Hoot in action in the video below. She's a very good girl.
WATCH:
K-9 Hoot followed a scent through streets and railroad tracks to help find a missing 13-year-old boy with autism near Port St. Lucie. The pup has now helped find four missing children in just two years. pic.twitter.com/eVdTYcR1SU
— CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil (@CBSEveningNews) March 6, 2026
Editor's Note: At RedState, it's not all about politics and policy. We like to bring attention to what's good in the world, with columns like "Feel-Good Friday," "Start Your Weekend Right," and "Hoge's Heroes."
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