Alex Trelinski
AN Alicante fire rescue dog which sniffs out missing people found an 80-year-old woman who was missing for a day.
The lady had fallen and was taken to the Hospital de Sant Joan de Alicante.
Kira the dog is part of the canine team belonging to the SPEIS Alicante unit consisting of firefighters specialising in search and rescue tasks involving missing persons.
Kira has been specifically trained for mantrailing- where a dog uses its nose to find somebody thanks to their unique scent.
The SPEIS team were mobilised on Sunday night after the family of the 80-year-old reported her missing in the centre of Alicante.
A full description was provided of her and firefighters asked for some clothing that belonged to her and details about the paths and roads close to her home.
Kira was given a whiff of the clothing and the search begun, which ended at a doorway on Calle Calderon de la Barca.
The missing woman was there, having suffered a fall and an ambulance crew took her to hospital, in what was another successful outcome for the SPEIS Canine team.
The unit has some of the best specialist dogs in the country including one that detects accelerants like alcohol and petrol in suspected arson cases.
