Expert nose of police dog Dax helps save Ingleside man's life

Dax, one of the county's most celebrated police dogs, and the humans of the Lake County sheriff's office helped save the life of a 37-year-old Ingleside man early Monday morning.

Officers were called to a house on the 35800 block of North Hunt Avenue because of a report that a person was threatening to take his own life. When officers arrived around 12:20 a.m., they learned a man had injured himself and fled the house on foot, according to Lake County sheriff's spokesman Lt. Christopher Covelli.

Dax, with the help of his partner, Deputy John Forlenza, immediately picked up the man's scent, and officers were able to track the man to a shed at the rear of the property.

Deputy Chase Skrypek opened the door to the shed and found the man inside, unconscious and not breathing. Forlenza and Skrypek carried the man out of the shed and began CPR. Deputy Michael McCarty arrived and assisted with CPR until paramedics arrived, Covelli said.

The man began breathing again and regained consciousness just before paramedics arrived. He was taken to an area hospital, Covelli said.

Sheriff John Idleburg praised the efforts of his deputies and Dax in a news release Monday.

"The number one priority of everyone working at the Lake County Sheriff's Office is to always maintain the respect and dignity of every human life - Deputies Forlenza, Skrypek, McCarty and K9 Dax did just that and undoubtedly saved this man's life," Idleburg said.

Dax and Forlenza have received several commendations for their efforts tracking people and drugs over the years. In October 2019, the pair appeared on the "Today" show as part of a segment on the country's top dogs. Dax was chosen as the top dog in the law enforcement category.