Millie, an 11-month-old Bloodhound, was on top of her game just after midnight April 24, locating a scared elderly woman who had wandered away from her Rockport home, unable to find her way back to safety.

But Millie, who is a new member of the  Maine State Police K-9 Unit as of January 31, made fast use of her learned skills and natural talents, finding the woman in just six minutes.

Specialist Eric Sucy is Millie’s handler, and he had been called to Rockport Wednesday night after the woman was reported missing by her family. When he arrived in Rockport, Sucy was briefed about the ongoing search for the 77-year-old woman, who was alone in the dark and chilly night.

Sucy acquainted Millie with a scent article (a sock) of the woman, and the Bloodhound went straight to work. She tracked one-quarter of mile along Chestnut Street near the Rockport Seaview Cemetery on Russell Avenue, near the Camden town line.

“She started on Chestnut, went off the road, crossed over the road, and found her in a garage,” said Sucy, who was trailing Millie with a member of the Maine State Warden Service. Millie had started tracking at 12:34 a.m. and by 12:40 a.m., she was at the door of the garage.

The woman was relieved to be rescued, and Millie accompanied the woman back to her house, where the waiting family visited with the young Bloodhound.

The search began earlier in the night, with help provided by Rockport Police, Rockport Fire Department, Rockland Fire Department, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Maine Warden Service and the State Police. Rockland Fire Dept. flew its thermal camera drone over an area that encompassed Rockport Village.

The woman, who suffers from cognitive issues, had last been seen at 7:30 p.m.

Millie was Texas-born, and did her initial training at Zeus Canines in New York. 

She arrived in Maine to serve with the State Police, and lives with Sucy, who has been with MSP for 10 years.

The Rockport search and rescue mission was Millie’s first — and major — accomplishment in locating a lost human. She got plenty of treats, Spam singles being her favorite.

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657