Tiny Abandoned Puppy Chases Cop Down The Street And Forces Him To Make A Bold Move

It initially started off as just another shift for Officers Mercado and Tavera. And with the blur of traffic, no one may have spotted the scrawny pup wandering around. But thankfully for the dog, who stood only as tall as an adult's ankle, someone took notice.

Mercado and Tavera were out on patrol along Hobart Boulevard when they noticed the small, strange figure following them. Although the little guy had a small frame, two big ears flopped around his head. They bobbled wildly as he approached Mercado, practically skipping up to him.

Tavera captured the whole encounter on his phone. With each step that Mercado made, the puppy followed. Realizing this little guy was abandoned, the officers suddenly found themselves forced into the role of animal rescuers. And after realizing the street they were on, they knew what to call the bouncing stray.

Yup, the cops nicknamed the little puppy Hobart! But the encounter wasn't all fun and games. Seeing how young the pup was, the officers knew it was dangerous for him to be alone. So, the two took little Hobart with them and let him enjoy his first police car ride. In the meantime, they discussed what to do with the little guy.

Based on data from the City of Los Angeles Department of Animal Services, little Hobart's backstory wasn't rare. Between 26,000 and 44,000 stray dogs are said to be on the LA streets at any given moment. But Hobart had got lucky — at least for the time being. The officers then tried to figure out if someone had lost him.

During his police cruise, Hobart sat safely in Tavera's hands as Mercado drove. And given that there were no tags to be found on the small puppy, his future depended entirely on what the officers thought was best. Would Hobart be better in a shelter?

The cops knew they had to abide by the rules in California. If there are no tags or information about an owner on a stray animal, you are legally bound to bring them to a shelter. Still, Mercado and Tavera hesitated. Shelters could provide either a very happy or unhappy ending.

Many pet owners and their lost friends are reunited in shelters. But if you don't search for the owner on your own using flyers and social media, you have to bring that stray to the shelter with the hope that the owner will arrive. If the animal goes unclaimed for a further six business days in California, they then become eligible for adoption.

So, if Hobart went to a shelter, there was a decent chance that he'd be reunited with his former owner or would find a new happy home. Still, there was also the undeniable chance that he could die in the organization's custody, or even be euthanized. Mercado carefully weighed the pros and cons.

Ultimately, the cop couldn't bear to send the pup to a shelter. So, the officers took Hobart into their station, where the puppy received an honorary K-9 title. It came as a fun surprise to many of Mercado's colleagues that such a small pooch could be considered a police dog.

And Mercado couldn't help himself — he had to keep Hobart by his side. Yep, the officer opened his home to the puppy! It seemed a new beginning was in store, though Mercado was a bit nervous about how Hobart would adjust.

To help the pup settle in, the LAPD went all out in celebrating his fresh start. They welcomed the young honorary K-9 as a new member of the family, and they shared the video of the pup first meeting the officers on social media. But before they knew it, that post got a little out of control.

The short-legged, big-eared Hobart went viral, and it wasn't long before he got an Instagram page all to himself. Mercado wrote posts from Hobart's perspective and made it clear how happy he was living with the policeman and his wife. The puppy even got some new nicknames.

"Hobie" or "Mr. Man" are some of the Mercados' favorites. In their house, Hobart discovered plenty of great sleeping places, too. There are so many, in fact, that the Mercados brought in a new family member: a short, white-furred puppy named Tyson. It's all a far cry from Hobie's stint on the streets.

Since that fateful day, Hobart and the Mercados seem to have been inseparable — and we really mean that. If his human parents were out and enjoyed a drink from Starbucks, Hobart enjoyed one as well. And that's not all.

Hobart got his first leash, plenty of toys, and even his first Halloween costume. We could only imagine what may have happened if Hobart had not been so curious or courageous and strolled up to the looming officers before him.

And the Mercado household may never have been the same without Hobart. He has grown to love his parents, his new sibling, and the fellow dogs he meets along the way. But if Mercado's colleagues were uncertain that such a small pooch could be considered a police dog, there was already a precedent in place.

Midge, a chihuahua-rat terrier mix, actually earned the Guinness World Record in that category. The official law enforcement work dog belonged to Sheriff Dan McClelland of Ohio. And, once she passed her certification in 2006, Midge became a narcotics dog! Similarly, Hobart's naturally gentle nature started making officers reconsider what qualities to look for in canine recruits.

What happens when a cop meets a not-so-friendly dog, though? Not all pooches are like Hobart, and some don't appreciate unwanted intruders. When one household’s dog got into full family-protection mode, it went on the attack. But as the teeth sunk into his flesh, the officer at the door knew exactly what to do.

In recent years, Round Rock Police Department (RRPD) in Texas has come under scrutiny for using excessive force against animals. That’s because three officers were named in a lawsuit by the owner of a Rottweiler back in 2014. The dog died after being shot during a search of the property.

Now, however, the department is sending out a completely different message. And it’s all thanks to one of its conscientious officers. In August 2015 RRPD fielded a call from a concerned citizen about a local incident. Apparently, there was a disturbance in the man’s neighborhood.

Veteran Geoff Wightman made a call to the local police department. During the report, Wightman warned the dispatcher that he wasn’t home alone, which could be a complication. Not only was he accompanied by his four-year-old son, but his dog Jillaroo was also present.

The dog, an Australian shepherd, was fiercely protective of her family. “Jillaroo is aggressive by nature and necessity,” KVUE explained on August 12, 2015. “Wightman served two tours overseas – in Afghanistan and Iraq – leaving Jillaroo to protect the home in his absence.”

And so when investigating officer Randall Frederick attended the scene, he was fully aware of the issue. However, Wightman had intended to put Jillaroo away before the police visited. The officer’s early call showed great response time, but unfortunately, it also resulted in an undesirable situation.

“The officer arrived and rang the doorbell earlier than I expected,” Wightman recounted in a letter to the RRPD. “I ran downstairs, but […] my son was already at the door with our dog.” Jillaroo witnessed the arrival of the stranger and had leapt to the worst conclusion.

Clearly, Jillaroo had seen a stranger approaching her family and thought they were under attack. Fearing that her humans might get hurt, the dog flung herself into the path of the “intruder.” Then, when she was between the child and the stranger, Jillaroo made her move.

Wightman wrote, “And that’s when it was a little bit nerve-racking, because I was watching the dog bite [Frederick].” Jillaroo actually bit the officer on the leg not once but twice. Then, however, Frederick surprised everyone. The officer responded completely contrary to how you might expect.

That’s because Frederick seemed to anticipate the dog’s intentions and didn’t fight back. Neither did he draw his weapon. In fact, he made no sudden movements at all. “The officer was slowly backing up and trying to get [the dog] to calm down with outstretched hands,” Wightman wrote in his letter.

Officer Frederick’s cool disposition prevented the situation from escalating, thus giving Wightman enough time to intercede. Then, when the pair were separated, Frederick proved to be even more level-headed. Much to Wightman’s admiration, the officer carried on doing his job without the slightest bit of fuss.

Wightman explained that the officer continued as if nothing had happened. “[He took] my report about the issue I had originally called about in a very calm and professional manner,” he wrote. Frederick even apologized for not calling first, which Wightman stated was appreciated but unnecessary.

Moreover, although Jillaroo’s bites had been warnings, she still managed to cause a bit of bruising. Worse, her teeth had punctured Frederick’s skin and induced some minor bleeding. However, none of this seemed to concern the police officer. Indeed, Frederick was nonplussed by the whole ordeal, for which he has been commended.

But what happened to Jillaroo? As previously mentioned, there have been cases in the past where officers have felt threatened and reacted violently. It follows that this incident could have easily turned out just like those – and if it had, even Wightman confessed he would have been hard-pressed to blame Frederick.

However, Frederick had no intention of taking matters any further. Wightman’s letter outlined what happened next. “Protocol necessitated he call in the bite (understandable) so that Animal Control could take a report,” he wrote.

“Animal Control [took] a report and [did] a rabies vaccination check,” the letter went on. Additionally, Jillaroo was quarantined to the house for the regulation ten days. “BUT that’s where it ended. The Officer did not strike back against my dog during the incident,” Wightman continued.

“[Officer Frederick] did not act disproportionately, he did not file charges or wish [Jillaroo] punished. Instead [he] said, ‘She was just doing her job,’” Wightman’s letter emphasized. It seems that the RRPD has taken past allegations seriously and taken steps to prevent anything similar from happening again.

In fact, the RRPD has created a training program called BARK (Be Aware of Residential K9s). Through it, the department hopes to educate officers on how to deal with aggressive civilian dog situations. And, judging by Officer Frederick’s shining example, it seems the program is an effective one.

And on August 11, 2015, Frederick was awarded with the Chief’s CHIP Challenge coin. CHIP is an acronym for Community, Honor, Integrity and Pride. Both Wightman and Jim Stuart, RRPD’s police commander, were no doubt ecstatic to see Officer Frederick achieve such recognition for his actions.

“I want everyone to know that in Round Rock, TX we have some pretty darn fine police officers,” Wightman wrote. His letter concluded, “This little incident should show you what kind of caliber people we have protecting us. […] I will be shaking all RRPD officers’ hands when I see them from now on.”