A hero police dog has helped trace a missing West Lothian pensioner with dementia who had been missing for more than 24 hours.
The elderly man, who has not been named, was reported missing from his home in Livingston on Wednesday morning.
Police launched a major search operation, involving officers, a helicopter and a police dog.
The search was successful and the pensioner was found safe and well in a wooded area near his home.
The hero of the hour was police dog Koda, a German Shepherd who is trained to track missing people.
Koda was able to pick up the pensioner’s scent and follow it to the wooded area, where he was found.
Koda is part of the Police Scotland Dog Unit and is trained to track people, search buildings and vehicles, and detect drugs and explosives.
The pensioner was taken to hospital for a check-up and is now back home with his family.
Police Scotland praised Koda for his work in helping to locate the missing pensioner.
Inspector David McEwan said: “Koda is a highly trained and experienced police dog and his work in this case was invaluable.
“He was able to pick up the pensioner’s scent and follow it to the wooded area, where he was found safe and well.
“We are delighted that the pensioner has been found safe and well and we would like to thank Koda and all the officers involved in the search for their hard work and dedication.”
Koda is just one of many police dogs who help to keep the public safe every day.
Their work is invaluable and they are a credit to the police force.