Rescue Dog Scout Earns Her Medal: She Followed a Missing Cat's Scent Over a Wall, a Railway Line and a Canal

A once-abandoned terrier has used her trained nose to reunite a family with their cat, missing for more than two weeks. According to BBC News, Scout, a Staffordshire bull terrier found abandoned in Leek, Staffordshire, during the first COVID-19 lockdown, was taken in by Marilyn Gilchrist, who trains dogs to track scents — training that proved decisive in finding the cat, Ripley.

One sniff of the cat's bedding, and off they went

Before setting out, Gilchrist had Scout smell the cat's bedding to pick up Ripley's scent. The dog then led them over a wall, through a garden, over a railway line and across a canal, eventually stopping at an alley — where Gilchrist suggested her friend search, and Ripley was recovered safely.

A medal, and a more immediate reward

Scout later received the dog medal of honour from Service Dogs UK and the National Foundation for Retired Service Animals. And the hero did not go without a more immediate reward either: extra treats, and a new toy.