Murfreesboro Police Department’s K9 Kari saves stranded dog in East Tennessee flooding

A glimmer of hope amidst the flooding devastation from Hurricane Helene in East Tennessee, a dog stranded atop a 20-foot tree is safely rescued thanks to Murfreesboro Police Department’s K9 Kari.

Kari and her handler, Officer Angela Alexander, were assisting a search team from the Kingsport Fire Department (KFD) in locating flood casualties on Wednesday, Oct. 2. During the search, Kari began barking uncontrollably and led the search team to a tree. A dog was perched high in the branches sitting on a pile of debris.

KFD firefighters found a ladder that was washed away by flood waters and used it to rescue the dog.

“The funny thing about Kari is she is not fond of other dogs but this time it was different,” Alexander said. “I’m so proud of her helping to find something good in all the devastation caused by the flooding.”

The rescued dog was turned over to animal control and has been reunited with its owner.

Kari is a 5-year-old bloodhound.