Stray dog turned police K9 helps find missing children in Indiana forest

BROWN COUNTY, Ind. — A former stray dog turned Brown County police K9 is being celebrated after helping find two missing children deep in the woods of Hoosier National Forest.

Knox, a former stray puppy who lived in a parking lot and survived on chicken nuggets thrown from car windows, is now a K9 officer with the Brown County Sheriff’s Department.

On Sunday, the dog tracked and helped find two 11-year-olds who got separated from their mother near Sundance Lake in Brown County. Police launched an immediate search, but it was Knox’s nose that led investigators 550 yards through thick forest directly to the missing kids.

Knox was rescued in 2024 by the nonprofit group Redemption Ranch K9. The group’s founder, Officer Rob Prichard, said Knox’s story holds a valuable lesson.

“He’s not just a working dog,” Prichard said. “He’s living proof that second chances save lives.”

Knox was found just over a year ago, living in a field near a Shelbyville truck stop. The dog was reportedly seen catching chicken nuggets tossed his way by truck drivers.

After being “humanely trapped with a hamburger,” Knox was taken to the Shelbyville Animal Shelter. There, staff said they quickly realized that the “high-energy dog” was “unlikely to thrive in a traditional home.” They then reached out to Redemption Ranch and “everything changed.”

Based in Plainfield, Redemption Ranch K9 Rescue takes in “high-drive” dogs from central Indiana shelters and trains them for police work.

The group then provides trained and certified K9 officers at no cost to local departments that cannot afford one.

“All Knox needed was a purpose,” Prichard said. “Now he’s protecting lives.”

Knox is now assigned as a K9 officer with the Brown County Sheriff’s Department, where he will continue to train, serve and help with local issues such as missing children.

“From the parking lot to police dog, Knox is a good dog,” a press release read.

For more information on Redemption Ranch, click here.