The North Dakota Highway Patrol has added a new recruit to its search team: Beau, a 12-week-old bloodhound puppy.

Beau will join the agency’s bloodhound unit, which tracks missing people and criminal suspects across the upper Midwest. Despite the use of drones and aircraft, officials say bloodhounds remain one of the most effective tools for following human scent on the ground.

The patrol began using bloodhounds about 14 years ago and now receives roughly 70 search requests annually, including calls from other states. Known for their powerful noses—containing about 300 million scent receptors—bloodhounds can follow trails that are days old.

For now, Beau is learning basic commands and socializing with different environments. He is expected to begin certified trailing work when he is about nine months old.

abcnews.com