A lost dog walked into a Tampa police station on his own, and when his owner came in crying, an officer told her ‘I have him’

A German shepherd wandered away from home and walked right up to the front doors of the Tampa Police Department on September 30. As reported by the New York Post, the entire encounter was caught on the department’s security cameras.

The Tampa Police Department shared the update on Wednesday. “We had an unexpected K-9 applicant stop by our office,” the department stated.

The officers had to break the news that their roster was already full. “This four-legged visitor was ready to join the team, but unfortunately, our K-9 roster is currently full,” the statement continued. “We made sure our hopeful recruit was safely reunited with his owner instead.”

The officer made sure the dog actually had a family waiting for him

Before the reunion, one officer took the German shepherd to a veterinarian for a checkup. They scanned the dog for a microchip, which allowed them to track down his family, and the department noted that microchipping is one of the best ways to make sure lost pets find their way back to their owners.

The moment the owner was reunited with her dog was captured on police bodycam footage. When the officer arrived at the home with the dog waiting in his van, he asked, “Hi, how are you?” The woman admitted she was having a rough time, saying, “I’m not so good, I lost my dog,” and the officer replied, “I have him.”

“You have him, really?! I was crying this morning,” she responded. The officer explained, “Yeah, just wanted to make sure because he ran up to the police department, so I had him in the car.”

He also walked the owner through his process. “I 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’t like somebody didn’t want him,” he said.

The woman tearfully hugged her dog and thanked the officer, saying, “Thank you, thank you. He made me crazy.” She mentioned that the German shepherd, whose name was not shared, enjoys playing outside. “He may not have gotten the job, but he definitely stole our hearts,” the department added.