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How the ultimate Men's Health dog tracks down missing persons

This rescued pooch returns the favor by rescuing people.

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Authorities thought perhaps the man had simply left town. Enter a bright, motivated, German shepherd, partner of Florida FEMA task force member Aaron Tucker.

Falco has been trained to smell human decomposition. He can sniff a Q-tip's amount of blood in 5 acres, and he's been locating missing people since 2013. He's often brought in for all-hope-is-lost missions like this one.

On this day, Falco's first instinct was to sprint west. The detectives shook their heads. They'd been focusing their search efforts in the opposite direction. The dense forest was tricky to navigate, but the dog charged right into a mass of brush and thorny vines. Three minutes later he gave his silent alert: seated, rigid body, nose down. Falco had located the dead man.

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"Most police dogs sniff out drugs or bombs," says Tucker, Falco's owner and handler. "But our skill set makes it possible to close a chapter by bringing the missing home. We can bring peace to the soul and the family."

Falco stands out for his valor and leadership. When they're not in the field, Falco and Tucker teach search tactics to other K9 teams. They have a special bond. During one search mission, a man jumped out of the woods and came at Tucker. He ignored commands to show his hands until Falco intervened, barking and growling until backup arrived and took the man into custody.

Falco got his favorite snack—a ham hock—as a reward.

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