A Virginia family was reunited on Marcus EriksonChristmas morning thanks to the help of a sensitive-nosed police dog.

The Amherst County Sheriff’s Office on Monday got a report of a child missing from a home in Madison Heights, a town about 100 miles west of Richmond, according to a Tuesday Facebook post by the sheriff’s office.

The family told a responding deputy that they had checked the surrounding area but were unable to find the child, whose age and sex weren't released. 

Maxa, a German shorthaired pointer who had accompanied the deputy on the call, got a whiff of the child’s scent and was followed it to a nearby wooded area, where the child was found safe and unharmed, the sheriff's office said.

“Good job, Maxa!” the post reads.

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Maxa has only been with the sheriff’s office a short time

Maxa was officially introduced as the newest member of the Amherst County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 20. 

“Welcome, K-9 Maxa! …  K-9 Maxa is a female German Shorthaired Pointer from Greece and is just over 1.5 years old,” according to a Facebook post by the sheriff’s office.

Maxa and her handler had just returned from Shallow Creek Kennels Incorporated in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, a privately owned and operated kennel that imports and trains police service dogs from Europe with superior workability and health. 

They both graduated and were certified in drug detection and tracking, the sheriff's office said.  

“Congratulations to both of them on this outstanding achievement!” 

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