Exactly one year ago, Our Rescue’s Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) K9 program hit a milestone: a record 11 dogs graduated, embarking on a life with a very important mission – to help protect vulnerable children and bring criminals to justice.
Since June 2025, these K9s have joined over 130 other K9s in helping law enforcement arrest well over 1,300 individuals suspected of child abuse, exploitation, and the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). They are active members of the communities they serve, attending events and school presentations as part of ongoing campaigns to educate children and families about the realities of child exploitation and internet crimes against children (ICAC).
And when investigators working on a child exploitation case turn to a child survivor and ask, “What happened?” Our Rescue K9’s become quiet, calm companions who sit beside them and offer comfort during an incredibly difficult time.
The following stories are just a few of many that we have received from handlers over the year. They highlight the accomplishments of outgoing, friendly Labrador Retrievers who, not too long ago, became part of an elite cadre of search-and-detect K9 teams who are heroes in the communities they serve and protect.
ESD K9 Sailor helps ensure school safety in North Carolina
In November 2025, a School Resource Officer at a North Carolina elementary school was patrolling the staff parking lot and encountered a man loitering, looking at cars. She reported the suspicious behavior to the local county sheriff and waited with the man until backup arrived. Law enforcement learned the 37-year-old suspect had gained unlawful entry to the school from a side door and had spent nearly an hour hiding in two different staff restrooms before he departed.
Our Rescue-sponsored ESD K9 Sailor and Detective Luke Peden were called in to search for any “planted,” concealed devices like hidden cameras and another K9 trained to locate weapons conducted a separate search. Both K9s methodically checked the school and found no evidence except for that the man had been inside the building. Thanks to the K9 team’s quick response and thorough search for any other signs of potential harm, law enforcement ensured school administration that it was safe for classes to continue. The man was later arrested and charged with trespassing.
In a quiet Pennsylvania neighborhood, ESD K9 Doug helps police find evidence containing 100 pieces of CSAM
In December 2025, ESD K9 Doug and Detective Calvin Irvin, were deployed to a residence in Pennsylvania where a man had allegedly downloaded over 100 images of CSAM. The home was a short seven-minute walk from the nearby junior-senior high school. When police raided the home, K9 Doug helped them find CSAM images of a young girl that included nudity. The suspect admitted that he had downloaded images from foreign websites and “assumed” some of the material included CSAM. He also admitted to using a “seedbox” which is a kind of remote overseas server that he used to download and view CSAM on a computer in his basement. He was also suspected of using StashApp to organize and view pornography on his TV. The man was arrested and jailed.
The ESD K9 is one of the most powerful tools in the fight against child exploitation,
Stated Chaz Balogh, Relationship Manager of Our Rescue’s North America Region, in a recent conversation. “These highly trained dogs are detectives on the job, locating electronic devices like cell phones, USB drives, hidden cameras and tracking devices, and micro-storage devices that can be overlooked by human searches.”
ESD K9 Zero discovers the source.
In Utah, a 7-year-old approached his mother with a worried look and said, “Mom, there is a bomb in my jacket; it’s beeping.” He had just returned from a custody visit with his father. A survivor of domestic violence, the mother immediately contacted a local domestic violence shelter and explained what her son had said. The shelter quickly connected her with the local police department where ESD K9 Zero works with Detective Bobby Bassett.
After searching the child’s jacket, Zero did not find a bomb, but he did find the source of the beeping sound: a hidden tracking device that had been sewn into the child’s coat. The mother explained that her husband gave their son the jacket during his last visit and that he had also placed a box in the trunk of her car that she wanted to have checked. K9 Zero located a second tracker placed under the carpet in the trunk. Afraid there might be more, the mother asked the police to check her belongings that were stored at the shelter. Sure enough, ESD K9 Zero again found a device this time glued to the underside of her dresser drawer. The suspect was charged.
Nebraska State Patrol welcomes “Scooter”, their first ESD K9.
Nebraska State Patrol welcomed their first ever ESD K9, named Scooter, partnered with Investigator Neal Trantham, to their agency last year. On one deployment, K9 Scooter helped another police department execute a search warrant of an apartment where a suspect of human trafficking and child exploitation lived. The suspect was alleged to have been paying for sex with children. Scooter was part of the initial search of the property and found four devices – two laptops, one camcorder with an SD card, and one USB drive – in the apartment. This offender was arrested that same day thanks to a collaboration of teamwork, including Scooter’s contributions. The seized electronic devices went to the lab for analysis, and the case is pending.
“Now that our June 2025 graduates have been working for a year, we see a noticeable difference in the K9 teams. They are much more confident, focused, and mature,” said Chaz. “The dogs have really settled into their daily routines and work environments, which translates into stronger search performance and better communication between handler and K9 during deployments.”
ESD K9 Enzo recognized for his impact on multiple cases in Illinois
From finding pinhole cameras that filmed more than 180 patients – many of them girls – in a trusted doctor’s office, to assisting multiple law enforcement agencies in Illinois as they brought down alleged cybercriminals and individuals associated with CSAM, ESD K9 Enzo is hard at work. Along with his fellow graduates from June 2025, Enzo is a force magnifier when brought in to help identify, locate, and confiscate evidence that is key to investigators and prosecutors.
K9 Enzo’s searches discovered electronic devices that led to multiple charges against the doctor, a well-known pediatric chiropractor. The suspect was charged with fourteen counts related to producing, possessing, and disseminating CSAM. According to the County Sheriff, ESD K9 Enzo played a large role in locating hidden cameras in the doctor’s office.
Of the fifty search warrants that K9 Enzo supported post-graduation, eleven resulted in the discovery of electronic devices and hundreds of CSAM files involving children as young as toddlers. These discoveries helped the County’s ICAC team rescue at least five children from abuse and exploitation and brought thirteen criminal suspects to justice.
How Our Rescue donors help us empower these everyday heroes
“It’s a seven-day-a-week job,” Chaz says. “You’re feeding, training, exercising, and caring for the dog every day. And it’s worth it. These dogs aren’t just tools – they’re family. And they’re helping save lives.”
He notes that many handlers have grown more comfortable trusting their K9s and can more easily read their behaviors and alert signals during searches.
As we reflect on the past year, we are especially proud and grateful for the remarkable impact this ESD K9 class has had on the lives of vulnerable children in their communities. And we are tremendously grateful to the generous contributions of our donors who have helped fund these larger-than-life K9s.
These are the everyday heroes – ESD K9s and their handlers – who make a world of difference in the fight against child exploitation.
We are grateful to Our Rescue donors who help place these special partners in the field and help the justice system find, arrest, investigate, and prosecute the criminals who commit these unimaginable crimes. Please join Our Rescue in recognizing ESD K9s Dexter, Digi, Zero, Doc, Sailor, Doug, Enzo, Mouse, Josie, Scooter, and Willow for their hard work, dedication, and service to communities across the nation. We are all so very proud of the work you do to help keep your communities safe, and of the meaningful difference you have made over the year keeping children safe and bringing criminals to justice.
