Lost dog Chico walks into police station to report himself 'missing', plays with cops and then returns home
A Texas dog ran away from home in the middle of the night and ended up at a police station alerting the authorities of his missing status himself. Chico, the German Shepherd, shocked cops at the Odessa Police Department when he walked into the precinct on February 11 and played with them for a while.
Meanwhile, his sleeping owner had no idea the pooch was gone and had no ID tag to match him to a home. When police called animal control to check for a microchip, they found Chico had run off again.
"So.... this happy guy randomly strolled into the front desk of the Police Department last night," the Odessa Police Department quipped on Facebook alongside photos from Chico's fleeting visit.
"We were all excited to have him in the building," Sergeant Rusty Martin told The Dodo. "We had a tennis ball and threw it in the lobby for a bit. Everyone loved on him."
According to authorities, the doting canine "ran out just as quick as he came in" and officers weren't able to catch him.
"He was given lots of love and attention until he decided it was time for him to leave," the Facebook post continued. "He let himself out and after an exhausting search was not found."
Edward Alvarado was asleep when his one-year-old pet showed up at the station around 3.30 am that day. Alvarado learned what had happened only when his nephew texted him after seeing photos of Chico on social media.
"He asked me, 'Is that Chico?' I came outside and checked. But he was there already. That's kind of cool," Alvarado told NewsWest 9. "He knows where to go!"
Sergeant Martin explained how the owner got in touch with them. the following day. "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," he said. "I was impressed. He may just be cut out for this work."
Meanwhile, Odessa Police joked on Facebook how they were thinking Chico "wanted to apply for a K-9 position after eliminating a Lassie type situation."
The post went on to garner more than 2,000 likes and 1,500 shares with hundreds of comments.
Alvarado now plans to travel around the world with Chico considering he obviously doesn't like to stay put in one place.
"We were going to have him at my dad's store to be a guard dog," Alvarado told NewsWest 9. "He doesn't take stuff seriously."
Officers later updated their post saying they were "relieved to learn he safely returned to his owner." "Chico is welcome back anytime," they added.