Greeted with salami and nuzzles of affection, Thames, a New Zealand police dog, was reunited with his handler this past Sunday afternoon after being lost along a trail in the Tararura Ranges for seven nights. The New Zealand Police posted a short video of the reunion, where Thames can be seen covering Constable Mike Wakefield head-to-toe in gratitude saliva.
After a week-long pursuit of the K-9 officer, during which Wakefield was relentless in mobilizing his search-and-rescue workers, the team spotted Thames taking shelter in a bush. The excitement of being found seemed to overwhelm the dog, as tired as he was. Wakefield says he “whistled and called [Thames] but he ran off as if to say 'come this way' before running back and giving me a big lick."
“He wolfed down half of my salami which is a treat for him, I gave him a cuddle and we had a big play. I was just lost for words," continued Wakefield.
As a precautionary measure, Thames was taken to a vet and given a much-deserved few weeks leave, along with Constable Wakefield, in order to recover before presumably getting back to cleaning up organized crime on the streets of Wairarapa.