A dog who was found with a zip tie around his snout has officially been adopted by the very same police officer who rescued him. The Indiana officer said that the moment she saw the distressed canine walking around with a zip-tied snout, she knew she wanted to make him a part of her family.
Abused dog with zip-tied snout adopted by Indiana police officer
Officer Stephanie Northcutt, attached to the South Bend Police Department (SBPD), Indiana, was on patrol on Friday, Feb. 9, when she saw the zip-tied Doberman Pinscher. Officer Northcutt, who owns other dogs, instantly felt the need to help free the canine from the zip tie.
She approached gently and managed to catch him, as reported by WNDU News. Then, she joined hands with a bystander to remove the zip tie from the dog’s snout.
Commenting on the incident, SBPD told ABC 57 News: “Prior to our arrival, several good Samaritans stopped to try to catch the dog, but were unsuccessful.” The department further shared, “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.”
Soon after, the canine was transported to the South Bend Animal Resource Centre (SBARC).
Authorities are still looking into who may have done such a cruel thing. It’s unclear how long the dog— now named Zeus — had the zip tie around his snout. Thankfully, SBARC shared that there’s a high chance he will not suffer from any long-term physical effects.
On Monday, Feb. 12, the South Bend Police Department took to social media to announce news of Zeus’ adoption by Officer Northcutt. Before his official adoption, Zeus spent time with Northcutts’ other canines. To Northcutt’s surprise, Zeus bonded pretty well with her other dogs.
According to the department, Zeus is now the second to be rescued from a distressing situation by Officer Northcutt.
