Adventurous Jim returns
After missing for hours, the police dog was found waiting under a tree for his handler.
THE history of wandering escapades by Empangeni SAPS K9 Unit dog ‘Jim’ played out again on Sunday night but once more, with a happy ending.
The Patrol and Explosives’ Belgian Malinois dog went missing at Sokhulu after he was let out to ‘stretch his legs’ during a deployment to the local site.
Jim’s handler, Warrant Officer M Khubisa said Jim was let out as per protocol as the animals are not allowed to be confined in the kennels of the vehicles for too long.
‘He actually found an empty bottle in the bush while he was playing around and when I called him, he ran off – probably assuming I wanted to take away his ‘toy’.’ said Khubisa.
The seven-year-old was found hours later, yesterday morning in the same area waiting under a tree for his handler.
This however, has not been the first time that Jim has been ‘missing’.
During 2013, in a state of panic, Jim fled the scene of an accident, after a handler was involved in a head-on collision near KwaMbonambi, but was found 48 hours later.
Jim joined the Empangeni SAPS K9 Unit in 2010 and plays an integral role in apprehending suspects and identifying explosives in Zululand.
