Husky’s Midnight Feast Leads to ‘Cutest Arrest Ever’

Quick Smiles:

• A clever husky named King escaped his kennel at an Arizona animal shelter and set off a security alarm, leading to a police officer’s response.
• King had a blast, pulling down food for a midnight snack, and didn’t mind getting “arrested” when the officer arrived.
• The shelter founder, Jodi Polanski, was impressed by King’s escape skills and wanted to get him adopted as soon as possible.

In the wee hours of a November night, an Arizona animal shelter’s security alarm blared, all thanks to a crafty canine escapee.

The four-legged Houdini, known as King, had managed to wriggle his way out of his enclosure and even open the door with his paws, setting off the alarm around 12:30 a.m.

Once free, King decided to “throw himself a party,” as the text on a Facebook video posted on January 5 describes.

The husky helped himself to food, indulging in a midnight feast. But while he was busy stuffing his face, the alarm had already alerted the Tempe Police Department. The shelter’s security cameras recorded the entire incident.

The police department has round-the-clock access to the shelter to drop off animals in need. This made it easy for the responding officer to stroll in and catch the culprit in the act. The incident has since been affectionately referred to as the “cutest arrest ever.”

King didn’t seem to mind his capture. His tail was wagging when he realized someone was coming for him. Perhaps he was hoping for a party guest, especially since he hadn’t managed to free any of his fellow canines.

Shelter founder Jodi Polanski revealed to Newsweek that King had only been with them for a few hours before his breakout. They quickly learned that King was not a fan of being cooped up. Polanski expressed that due to King’s successful escape, they were eager to find him a forever home as soon as possible.

King was brought in as a stray and kept for three days before being adopted almost immediately.

“The officer is very private and wanted to stay out of the limelight,” Polanski shared. “We had to let the officer know we call him Officer Clean and that we appreciate him. He went above and beyond. He didn’t have to do that.”

Polanski was curious about who taught the officer to clean, as he did an excellent job, even managing to clean behind the filing cabinet. She also marveled at King’s escape, noting that he didn’t even break the kennel. The shelter is still puzzled about how he pulled it off.

Lost Our Homes Pet Rescue, based in Tempe, is a no-kill animal shelter. Over 10,000 pets have found new homes through their efforts, Polanski shared. Currently, they have 52 cats and dogs listed for adoption on their website, but a total of 171 animals are in their care.

Every year, an average of 17,260 pets enter U.S. shelters daily, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared to January 2022, as per the 24Pet “Shelter Watch Report.”

Approximately 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized annually. Shelters are working hard to reduce euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.

Source