Kathy Emory was standing on her deck when she noticed a dog’s paws hanging over the side of her swimming pool. The dog was Stano, a missing Atlanta Police Department K9 at the center of an overnight ground and air search in Henry County, Georgia.
Emory went inside for a towel and then came down from the deck to help. Stano found the pool step, jumped out and continued running, but his time loose was nearly over. Atlanta police officers arrived a short time later. Officer Andi Cameron later told Emory by phone, “As soon as you got him out of the pool, he came right to us.”
The encounter ended an immediate danger for the 3-year-old Malinois, who had slipped away late Monday night while his handler was arriving home after a late shift. The handler lives in Henry County, about 45 minutes south of Atlanta.
An overnight search by ground and air
Officers focused their search around North Pomona and Boynton roads. Personnel searched on the ground while a helicopter assisted from above, and Stano was found safe after the overnight operation.
Police believed Stano had seen deer and pursued them. Emory also believed that suspected pursuit brought him into her backyard, although she did not know whether he had been running without noticing the pool before entering the water.
Authorities did not provide the precise length of time Stano was missing. They also did not disclose his individual police duties, service history or the length of his partnership with his handler.
The Atlanta Police Department’s canine unit policy says its trained teams may support narcotics detection, tracking, article searches and ballistics detection. The policy also says no canine may perform work for which it has not been trained, so those broader unit responsibilities should not be treated as confirmation of Stano’s particular assignment.
Why the veterinary check mattered
By Tuesday afternoon, Stano was resting and receiving a precautionary veterinary examination. No examination results or injuries had been disclosed at that point, making it inappropriate to draw conclusions about whether the pool exposure affected him.
For any dog that unexpectedly enters a pool, respiratory changes warrant attention. Veterinary guidance on aspiration pneumonia in dogs identifies coughing and difficulty breathing among possible warning signs when material enters the lungs. Vomiting, regurgitation, fever and blue gums are also listed as signs.
Those symptoms do not establish that a dog has a particular condition. Owners who notice breathing trouble or other urgent concerns after water exposure should seek veterinary care rather than trying to assess the problem from home.
Prevention also matters around backyard pools. Pool-safety guidance from Hill’s Pet recommends close supervision and teaching dogs where the steps or ramp are located. Secure barriers can help prevent unsupervised access, while an accessible exit can give a dog a way out if it enters the water.
In Stano’s case, the pool step provided an exit, and Emory’s attention helped connect the missing K9 with the officers searching nearby. Police thanked her for keeping watch and assisting him, while Stano’s safe return allowed him to rest as the veterinary check proceeded. What would you do if your dog were in this situation? Share your thoughts in the comments.
By Sarah Mitchell — 8 years as a local-news reporter covering animal welfare, shelters, neighborhood disputes, and public-safety pet stories.
