This police station in Texas was having a quiet night until a four-legged guest strolled through its doors – a dog who appeared to be alone.
The Odessa Police Department wasn’t expecting a visitor during the wee hours of the morning, but this friendly dog casually waltzed into their office. It seemed like he went there with a mission – to report a missing pet incident to the authorities.
As it turns out, that dog was he, himself.
The department posted about the incident on Facebook, along with pictures of the dog, Chico, looking all cute as he put his paws on the front desk. It even looked like he was legitimately filing a report!
“So…. this happy guy randomly strolled into the front desk of the Police Department last night. We’re thinking he wanted to apply for a K-9 position after eliminating a Lassie type situation,” they wrote.
Sergeant Rusty Martin was one of the officers on duty when the Chico arrived. He had run away from home and found his way into the police station, seemingly unbothered that his owners were nowhere in sight. In fact, he was even ready to have a good time and play.
“We were all excited to have him in the building,” Martin told The Dodo. “We had a tennis ball and threw it in the lobby for a bit. Everyone loved on him.”
Although they were all enjoying the dog’s company, the officers didn’t forget the reason he was there. However, as they were about to solve the dilemma, things took a turn.
The pup was wearing a collar, but its ID tag had fallen off. They called animal control to have the dog checked for a microchip, but even before they arrived, the playful pooch had run away once again. This time, out of the police station and into the streets.
As they would later find out, the dog had made it back home safely.
“He ran out just as quick as he came in. The owner responded the next day [to say that] it was his dog and he had returned home. He lives about a mile from the station,” Martin said.
Anyone who’s ever had a dog knows how scary the thought of losing them is. But if their dog is like Chico, who can run away from home and get back safely after he’s had his fun, then we guess there is not much to worry about!