If one thing could improve your day right now, what would it be? A dog, right?
Well lucky you, because while I might not have a dog to give you, I do have some prime dog content right here that you definitely won’t want to miss. Last week, in the early hours of the morning of February 11, an adorable pup let himself into the Odessa Police Department in Texas and hopped up onto the counter to ‘report himself missing’.
The friendly dog seemed eager to let police officers know he had been separated from his owners and subsequently gone missing from his home, and fortunately didn’t seem too distressed about his ‘lost dog’ status.
Sergeant Rusty Martin was there to welcome the dog, who is called Chico, and helped entertain the pooch while the officers figured out what to do with him.
Saying they were all ‘excited’ to have the surprise guest in the building, Martin told The Dodo they kept him entertained by throwing a tennis ball in the lobby repeatedly. ‘Everyone loved on him,’ he said.
The police department shared photos of Chico’s visit on their Facebook page, describing him as a ‘happy guy’ and adding: ‘We’re thinking he wanted to apply for a K-9 position after eliminating a Lassie type situation.’
Despite enjoying the little guy’s company, those on duty were keen to solve his case – although it proved slightly problematic.
While Chico was wearing a collar, his ID tag had apparently fallen off, so animal control was dispatched to come and check for a microchip. Before they arrived, however, things took a slight turn.
The police department’s post continued:
He was given lots of love and attention until he decided it was time for him leave. He let himself out and after an exhausting search was not found. We were relieved to learn he safely returned to his owner.
Obviously deciding he had been missing long enough, Chico headed back to his family, with Martin stating: ‘He ran out just as quick as he came in.’
His owner contacted the police station the next day after seeing their Facebook post, confirming it was his dog and he had returned home – which is about a mile from the station – safely.
Chico clearly has a knack for this line of work; maybe he should apply for that K-9 job after all?
What a good boy.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).