WATCH — Florida K-9 Rescues Missing Autistic Teen After Sniffing His Sock: ‘Good Boy!’

A K-9 in Jacksonville, Florida, is being praised for quickly finding an autistic teenager who was in distress on April 21.

When the teenager went missing, K-9 Ruger and his handler, Officer Chris Havens, knew they had to act fast to rescue the young man before it was too late, WFLA reported Monday.

Before the search began, Ruger sniffed a sock belonging to the teenager and off he went to find him near the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Ryar Road.

“Where’s he at, buddy?” Havens asked Ruger as the dog led away. The officer’s body camera footage showed Ruger straining at the leash in his determination to track down the teenager and make sure he was safe.

It did not take long for the officers to spot the teenager in a parking lot when he began yelling for help. Ruger was seen wagging his tail as he approached the young man who was seated on the ground:

“You did a good job calling us over, okay? When you see the police, you say something to them,” one officer told the teenager.

Another policeman asked Havens, “Did the dog lead you straight here?” to which he replied, “We got to this intersection and then that’s when he started yelling.”

The officer who had been speaking to the teenager told him they were glad they found him because they were worried for his safety.

“If your loved one goes missing, every second counts in our search. Call 911 and we’ll get to work. Because he was able to lead officers close to the missing teen, K9 Ruger earned himself his favorite toy and plenty of ‘Good boy!’s!” the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.

Ruger also does more than rescue missing persons. He also loves connecting with the community’s children who love him in return, according to a March video from the sheriff’s office.

The clip showed him laying on his back as several children petted him and enjoyed his company:

Havens and Ruger teamed up in 2025, and officials said in December the pair had already helped find two missing endangered people in the area:

“They’ll continue to train to help find more missing people faster,” officials said at the time, and they were right.