Paw and order!<\/p>\n
A clever German shepherd who had wandered away from his home turned up at a Florida police station, where an officer helped reunite the pooch with his tearful owner.<\/p>\n
Tampa Police Department security footage<\/a> captured the \u201cunexpected K-9 applicant\u201d strolling up to the local station\u2019s front doors and greeting the officer who opened the door on Sept. 30. <\/p>\n \u201cThis four-legged visitor was ready to join the team, but unfortunately, our K-9 roster is currently full,\u201d Tampa police said in a statement Wednesday. \u201cWe made sure our hopeful recruit was safely reunited with his owner instead.\u201d<\/p>\n A missing German shepherd in Florida strolled up to the Tampa Police Department on Sept. 30. Tampa Police Department<\/p>\n \u201cHe may not have gotten the job, but he definitely stole our hearts,\u201d the department added.<\/p>\n The officer took the missing dog to a veterinarian for a checkup before scanning his microchip and locating his worried owner.<\/p>\n Hours later, Tampa officers reunited the dog and his family. <\/p>\n \u201cHi, how are you?\u201d the officer asked, with the dog still in his van, according to police bodycam footage. <\/p>\n An officer took the dog to a vet for a checkup before scanning his microchip and tracking down his owner. Tampa Police Department<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not so good, I lost my dog,\u201d the woman replied.<\/p>\n \u201cI have him,\u201d the officer said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have him, really?! I was crying this morning,\u201d she responded.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, just wanted to make sure because he ran up to the police department, so I had him in the car,\u201d the officer said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have him, really?! I was crying this morning,\u201d the owner told the officer when he arrived at her home. Tampa Police Department<\/p>\n \u201cI took him to the vet, I checked his chip and I was finally able to find out he has owners. I wanted to make sure it wasn\u2019t like somebody didn\u2019t want him,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, thank you. He made me crazy,\u201d the woman said.<\/p>\n She tearfully hugged the dog and welcomed him home, thanking the officer for bringing him back.<\/p>\n The woman revealed that the German shepherd, whose name wasn\u2019t shared, likes to play outside a lot. <\/p>\n German shepherds are known for their intelligence and trainability. The breed is widely used in law enforcement because of its ability to learn commands, follow complex tasks and work alongside handlers.<\/p>\n The relieved owner hugged her dog and welcomed him home, thanking the officer for bringing him back. Tampa Police Department<\/p>\n Police reminded pet owners to have their animals microchipped<\/a>, noting that the technology can help identify lost pets and reunite them with their families.<\/p>\n The Tampa reunion comes after two other families recently got their long-lost dogs back after more than a decade apart.<\/p>\n