A Dothan, Alabama, police officer led a community effort to find and bring home the dog of a girl who died in a tragic car crash. Nineteen-year-old McKenzie Amanda Grace Catron lost her life in the crash, causing her dog, Kai, to run off in fear.

“We felt we needed to find the dog,” said Sgt. Jonathan Whaley. “We were going to do whatever we needed to do to reunite this dog with this family.”

Whaley and his fellow officers launched a search, which quickly grew to involve hundreds of community members. They scoured the crash site, put up fliers, and offered a reward.

Two days later, lawyer Benjamin Irwin, whose firm offered the reward, spotted Kai. “My wife and I, with this wonderful couple Allen and Brittany, pursued Kai for over a mile,” Irwin shared on Facebook. With help from others, they finally captured Kai in a backyard shelter. “We found mutual friends who eventually jumped in and helped as well.”

Kai was taken to a vet and found to be in good health, albeit tired and dehydrated. Irwin donated the reward to the animal shelter from which Kai was adopted.

“If everybody would react this way, our world would be such a better place,” Sgt. Whaley said.

Readers praised the officer’s dedication. “This is what true Americans do all the time—step up and do the right thing,” one commented. “Thank you, Officer, for bringing this dog home. He lost his companion; I’m glad he didn’t lose his family,” another wrote.