River Schomaker was found in blackberry bushes hours after he was reported missing.
The handler of the K9 that found a missing toddler in Oregon is speaking out about the dog's heroic work.
Two-year-old River Schomaker was found crying and shivering in a blackberry bush after leaving his Portland home in freezing temperatures on Saturday.
Ava, the K9 member of Mountain Wave Search and Rescue -- who teamed up with the local police -- found the little boy.
Ava’s handler, Becky Irving, told Inside Edition that the child "was in a diaper, in a T-shirt, and you could definitely tell he was cold."
River's mom raised the alarm at dawn after she discovered he'd crawled out of bed and had wandered away from their home.
Police searched for six hours before he was found.
River was so cold and frightened that he clung to the police officer who rescued him and would not let go. Another cop helped wrap him in the officer’s coat to keep him warm.
Ava is ten years old and is retiring in just a few weeks. Her reward for the massive discovery was a steak dinner.
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The police posted about River’s discovery on Twitter Saturday afternoon.
UPDATE - FOUND SAFE: Officers Searching for Missing 2-Year-Old Boy (Photo) https://t.co/t7jO9g4nos pic.twitter.com/zMNSOd2Ep1
— Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) February 18, 2017
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