Paw patrol, indeed.
A German shepherd that had gone missing in Florida found his own way to a police station, where an officer helped bring the runaway dog back to his emotional owner.
Security video from the Tampa Police Department shows the “unexpected K-9 applicant” walking up to the station entrance and greeting an officer who opened the door on Sept. 30.
“This four-legged visitor was ready to join the team, but unfortunately, our K-9 roster is currently full,” Tampa police said in a statement Wednesday. Instead, officers ensured the hopeful recruit was safely reunited with his owner.
“He may not have gotten the job, but he definitely stole our hearts,” the department added.
Before searching for the dog’s family, the officer took him to a veterinarian for an examination and scanned his microchip. The chip led police to his worried owner.
Tampa officers reunited the dog with his family several hours later.
According to police body-camera footage, the officer greeted the woman while the dog remained in his vehicle. “Hi, how are you?” he asked.
“I’m not so good, I lost my dog,” she replied.
“I have him,” the officer told her.
“You have him, really?! I was crying this morning,” the woman said.
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The officer explained that the German shepherd had run directly to the police station. “He ran up to the police department, so I had him in the car,” he said.
He said he had taken the dog to a veterinarian, checked the microchip and confirmed that the animal had owners. “I wanted to make sure it wasn’t like somebody didn’t want him,” he added.
“Thank you, thank you. He made me crazy,” the woman replied.
In tears, she embraced the dog and welcomed him home, thanking the officer for helping bring him back.
The woman said the German shepherd, whose name was not released, enjoys spending plenty of time playing outdoors.
German shepherds are renowned for their intelligence and ability to learn. Their trainability, command of complex tasks and close working relationship with handlers have made them a popular choice for law enforcement K-9 units.
Tampa police also urged pet owners to have their animals microchipped, emphasizing that the technology can help identify lost pets and reunite them with their families.
The Tampa reunion follows two other recent cases in which families were reunited with dogs that had been missing for more than 10 years.
Last month, a Chicago woman was reunited with her Chihuahua, Flor, 12 years after the dog vanished.
Antonino was living in her car with the 4-year-old dog in 2014 when she left for work and returned to find the pet gone.
In March, a Philadelphia family was reunited with their dog, Forty, nearly 11 years after he was stolen from their backyard.
The terrier mix, whose full name is 40Cal, was taken alongside another dog from the family’s home in May 2015.
