A dog in Indiana that was abandoned with a zip-tied snout is finally going to his forever home, and it’s to a VERY familiar face — aka the police officer who rescued him.
The dog, a brown Doberman Pinscher named Zeus, was discovered running around on the side of a road in South Bend, Indiana, on February 09, Friday, with his snout zip shut.
South Bend Police Department revealed in a Facebook post, “Prior to our arrival, several good Samaritans stopped to try to catch the dog, but were unsuccessful.”
The Police Department continued, “South Bend Police Officer Stephanie Northcutt was among our officers who responded and was able to build enough trust with the dog to safely catch him and take him out of harm’s way.”
“Officer Northcutt then held the dog as a bystander assisted in removing the zip tie from the dog’s snout.”
Zeus was later transported to South Bend Animal Resource Center – SBARC, where they assisted in the investigation of the dog’s abandonment.
The video of Zeus’ rescue immediately went viral on Facebook. And with this, the police department gave everyone another update on the pooch the following week.
“We hope you’ll love this update as much as we do,” the South Bend Police Department wrote in an update on Monday, February 12.
They shared that a few days after Zeus’ rescue, the pooch finally got adopted!
“By whom, you may ask? Well… by the one who rescued him, South Bend Police Officer Stephanie Northcutt,” the Police Department revealed.
“Officer Northcutt said she knew the moment she laid eyes on the pup that he was the perfect addition to her family,” they added.
And before getting adopted, Zeus was able to spend some time bonding with Officer Northcutt’s other dogs before the police officer made it official.
SBARC revealed that while Zeus had injuries due to being zip-tied, the pooch will likely not suffer any long-term physical effects and is actually doing “extremely well despite the bad hand he was dealt”.
Zeus is actually the second dog that Officer Northcutt rescued while on patrol, the South Bend Police Department also shared.
“She joked that the dispatchers at St Joseph County 9-1-1 should stop sending her to animal calls because she will soon run out of room at her house!”
The Police Department also reported that Officer Northcutt, as a final kind gesture, is planning to sponsor two adoptions at SBARC after seeing the impact of Zeus’ story to their community.
And while Zeus has found his forever home, investigations surrounding Zeus’ circumstances are still underway.
“But… in the meantime… happy trails, Zeus… enjoy your new home,” the Police Department wrote.
