It didn't take long for the Seminole County Sheriff's Office's newest bloodhound to get her first big rescue under her collar.
It was a mother's worst nightmare when Stephanie Spears realized her young son with special needs was missing.
"Just panic, because we know what's back there in the woods. There's a lot of water, there are snakes, there are all kinds of dangerous things that he has no concept of," said Spears. "He's 9 years old, but because of the Down syndrome, cognitively he's closer to maybe 3 years old. So, he doesn't have any understanding of dangerous things like that, and he doesn't have an understanding of the fact that he can walk somewhere and not be able to find his way back."
Young Vince and his family live near State Road 46 and Lake Mary Boulevard, near Sanford. Seminole County deputies said when they got the call that Vince wandered into the woods Saturday morning, they immediately sent their helicopter and their new K-9 bloodhound, Amber, to track down the boy.
"She smelled his clothing and things that he had worn that morning, and she went straight back," Spears said. "It wasn't very long before she found him."
Deputies said 2-year-old Amber, who just recently completed her training, found Vince in a heavily wooded area near Lake Jesup, about a mile and a half away from his home.
Vince's mother recalled her son's first words when they were reunited.
"He said, 'I got to go in the woods, and I got to ride a 4-wheeler,'" said Spears. "He didn't understand how dangerous it was for him, that he was in danger. He was just kind of excited that he got to ride the 4-wheeler, and he saw the doggie and he got to see fire trucks. So, he was OK, thank goodness."
Amber should be no stranger to our readers. Seminole County held a "Name Our Puppy" contest in 2012, and a fourth-grader at the time won the contest. We also helped celebrate Amber's first birthday party. She was still in training at the time.