Time is of the essence when a child goes missing or police are searching for a fleeing suspect.

Now, the Covington County Sheriff’s Posse is asking for assistance in purchasing a search/tracking dog and related equipment to expedite the recovery process.

“The recent loss of our dog ‘Tracker’ has left us without a search dog in Covington County,” said Joe Barton, posse member. “We are now depending on other counties for help in locating lost persons or fugitives.

“As we all know, response time is vital in the location of a lost child or elderly person,” he said. “Being able to replace our search/tracking dog would allow us to cut down on the time that it would take to get ‘a dog on the ground.’”

Barton said the dog, which is a bloodhound, is currently being trained in Huntsville. Cost for the dog is $8,000, he said.

“A bloodhound is the dog of choice for tracking,” he said. “They are scent-discriminating dogs, meaning that whatever article you put in front of him, he’ll lock on to that scent and remain on it.

“So, when the police are running behind someone, we’ll be tracking that person, not the police,” he said.

Barton said the recovery process – be it a lost child or a fleeing suspect – is a group effort.

“And it’s going to take a group effort for us to raise the money for this dog,” he said. “We’ll be grateful for any donation we can get.”

Donations can be made payable to the Covington County Sheriff’s Posse and can be dropped off at the sheriff’s department on Hillcrest Drive, at WAAO, Radio Shack or sent via mail to Joe Barton, P.O. Box 926 Andalusia, AL 36420.

For more information, contact Barton at 334-504-2584 or Jimmy Wilson at 334-222-9055.