(NewsNation) — A shelter dog named Dawson has won hearts online for breaking out of a West Virginia animal shelter.
Animal control officers recently brought the healthy 5-year-old pitbull mix and two other dogs to Huntington Cabell Wayne Animal Shelter at the request of a property manager, shelter director Courtney Proctor Cross told The Washington Post.
She said staff didn’t realize Dawson (their name for the dog) was missing until Jan. 5, after a busy adoption event at the facility. Then they reviewed surveillance footage to piece together what happened early the day before: The pooch had slipped out of his enclosure and went to the front door, where he stood on hind legs to successfully work the lock with his mouth before exiting.
“We’ve not had anything happen like that before,” Proctor Cross said. “That is one smart little dog.”
But where did Dawson go? The shelter posted pictures of the animal and the escape video hoping to find him. Some viewers said the viral footage was AI-generated, which Proctor Cross denied.
A few days after his departure, shelter officials learned Dawson was actually named Rufus and had been reunited with his owner. Video sent by a friend of the owner confirmed the dog was fine, and the case is more or less closed.
“We have made contact with the owner. Clearly Dawson is a smart dog and he made his way back to his person,” Proctor Cross said in an email to NewsNation on Saturday. “Dawson is 5 years old and they have been going on adventures together since he was 7 months old.”
Now, the no-kill shelter is raising funds for operations as a way to honor their famous escapee.