Paws on patrol!
A German shepherd that strayed from home made an unexpected stop at a Florida police station, where an officer helped reunite the runaway dog with his emotional owner.
Security video from the Tampa Police Department shows the “unexpected K-9 applicant” walking to the station’s 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. “We made sure our hopeful recruit was safely reunited with his owner instead.”
The department added, “He may not have gotten the job, but he definitely stole our hearts.”
Before searching for the dog’s family, the officer took him to a veterinarian for an examination. A microchip scan then helped police identify and locate his worried owner.
Later that day, Tampa officers brought the dog back to his family.
In bodycam footage released by police, the officer asked the woman, who was standing near his van, “Hi, how are you?”
“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.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Putin ignored US warnings about a potential terror attack three days prior – NewsFinale
The officer explained that the dog had run directly to the police station. “He ran up to the police department, so I had him in the car,” he said.
“I took him to the vet, I checked his chip and I was finally able to find out he has owners,” the officer continued. “I wanted to make sure it wasn’t like somebody didn’t want him.”
“Thank you, thank you. He made me crazy,” the woman responded.
She then tearfully embraced the German shepherd, welcomed him home and thanked the officer for bringing him back safely.
The woman said the dog, whose name was not released, enjoys spending plenty of time playing outdoors.
German shepherds are celebrated for their intelligence and ability to learn. Their trainability is one reason the breed is commonly used in law enforcement, where the dogs follow detailed commands, perform complex tasks and work closely with handlers.
Tampa police also urged pet owners to microchip their animals, emphasizing that the technology can help identify lost pets and return them to 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 found 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.