12/06/2026
We are so incredibly proud of Nala and her handler.
Nala is apart of K9 Classroom's Trail Blazers program.
🐾 SUCCESS STORY: Nala the Trail Blazer Locates Missing Dog! 📢
Just some personal bragging – just because I can 😂
So incredibly proud of my girl Nala yesterday! I was absolutely floored from the high and adrenaline of the find yesterday afternoon, which is why I’m only getting around to posting about it today. ❤️🐾
Odin went missing and was feared injured.
I spoke to my good friend, Sonja Kruger at Beagle Watch Armed Response, regarding Odin and a possible sighting from the day before. The chances of getting a trailing dog to pick up a scent after more than 12 hours with no recent sightings is slim to none.
I did some thinking and let Sonja know that Nala and I would go try—if anything, it would just be an afternoon out. Nala—who I’ve been training through K9 Classroom Trail Blazers program, with sponsorship from Beagle Watch Armed Response for her harness—went out to give it a try. We went with no expectations, but we still had hope on our side.
Unfortunately, Odin was injured, with blood found outside his property and that of a neighbour. Even though Nala has never been trained to scent up on blood, she picked up the trail and followed it beautifully.
We had a moment of doubt at an intersection when I could no longer see any blood, and Nala didn't present that she was on track. But when we crossed the road a second time on the opposite side, she stuck that little sniffer of hers to the ground and just kept going!
Having worked with dogs for many years and assisting with lost pets, I have learnt to understand how they behave in unfamiliar terrain. I silently told myself that Odin would have stuck to the palisade fencing and not ventured into the open park because it was too exposed. But Nala knew better. She was locked onto that scent, trailing exactly next to the palisade.
We took the corner, walked about 10 steps, and she stopped. She picked up her head, her tail curled over her back, her posture changed immediately, and I knew she was onto something. And there Odin was—just his head was visible, tucked into the corner in a shallow dip, taking shelter roughly two blocks away from home.
He was very guarded, which was completely to be expected. His eyes were locked on mine, watching my every move as the call was made to his owner: “WE FOUND HIM!” ❤️
He is now back safe with his family getting lots of TLC, and thankfully, his injuries were not severe.
Just watching Nala work yesterday makes me appreciate every early morning training session, all the hard work, the sweat, and even the occasional fumble on my face! 🤣 (Bronwen had front row seats to that one) 🤣
Going out to an actual call and making a real difference in the community makes every single hour of hard work worth it.
You are an absolute superstar, Nala! 🌟🐕 my soul dog, my partner, my best friend.
(Want to support their efforts? K9 Classroom accepts donations to help them continue this important work. Every contribution goes a long way in ensuring we can keep helping🙏)
