Law enforcement officers rarely garner the universal acclaim that comes with some of the other first response professions. On most calls, there’s a victim who needs help and a suspect who needs catching. The victims won’t always be happy, and the suspect never will. Even when the cops catch the most heinous of bad guys, they’ve got family members who won’t appreciate where the boys in blue are taking their loved one. It can be a thankless role.

But, every once in a while, lucky officers get to be in a white-hat, feel-good role that even the staunchest cop-hater can’t criticize. For Van Buren County, Michigan, Sheriff’s Deputy Eric Calhoun, that moment came recently when a 3-year-old boy went missing in Geneva Township. The situation was a parent’s worst nightmare realized: It appeared the child had pried open a window and climbed out, clad only in his diaper.

Calhoun didn’t come alone; his partner is Kuno, a Belgian Malinois. This wasn’t Kuno’s first rodeo, either. The 8-year-old canine is actually quite the veteran. Throughout the course of his storied career, Kuno has located multiple suspects and five missing children. He’s been in the news before too, though he probably didn’t enjoy it — his five minutes of fame were the result of being stabbed multiple times in the line of duty.

When the intrepid team showed up at the rural residence, they were immediately concerned by the presence of a large body of water nearby. The little boy’s family had already conducted a frantic search of the area around the house. Though it took some time for Kuno to find a scent, it appears the old vet had a good save left in him. He was able to lead deputies to the toddler, who was found nearly a quarter-mile away from the house he’d left and just 50 yards from the edge of the water.

In an interview with NBC News, Deputy Calhoun discussed the fact that Kuno is getting close to hanging up his collar badge. He’ll probably live out his days doing regular dog stuff and bragging to the neighborhood mutts about his numerous accomplishments. But his capstone rescue came with a more immediate reward: a chicken dinner.