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Cop Quickly Makes Friends With 'Vicious Dog'

TEXARKANA, Texas (CBS4) -- A police officer in Texas got a very pleasant surprise after being called out on a report of a vicious dog.

Officer Travis Frost responded to the scene and spotted the dog, which was initially thought to be a pit bull, on someone's front porch.

"Travis said that he left the door of his patrol unit open so he could quickly jump back in if the dog was vicious and came after him," the Texarkana Police Department wrote on Facebook. "He whistled at the dog, who then came trotting over to him with his tail wagging. After Travis pet the dog for a minute, he went right up to the patrol unit, jumped in the front seat, and just made himself at home."

friendly pit bull 3
(credit: Texarkana Texas Police Department)

"Travis said they just hung out together and took some pictures until an Animal Control Officer got there," officials said.

friendly pit bull
(credit: Texarkana Texas Police Department)

The police department shared the experience on social media as a valuable lesson to the public.

"Pit Bulls have a bit of a bad reputation. Travis said that, while you should always be careful around any dog that you don't know, you shouldn't automatically assume that all pit bulls are bad dogs. They might be really loving like this guy was this morning."

friendly pit bull 2
(credit: Texarkana Texas Police Department)

It turns out the dog, whose name is "Gold," is not actually a pit bull but an American Bully.

The police department apologized for the case of mistaken identity.

"While I can tell the difference between a Chihuahua and a Great Dane, I don't always know all of the nuances that would allow me to distinguish between breeds that are much closer together. Please forgive my error. I assure you that it was not intentional."

The American Bully Kennel Club describes the breed as being "an excellent family companion."

"Despite the American Bully's fierce and powerful appearance their demeanor is gentle," the ABKC website states. "They are great with kids, and extremely friendly with strangers, other dogs, and other animals."

This dog certainly seems to fit the description!

The police department later posted an update, saying Gold had been reunited with his owner after spending a night in a local shelter.

Police said Gold had a microchip but the owner's contact information was out of date.

"If you have a chip for your dog but are not sure that the information on file is still current, please take a moment to call the company today to update," officials stated.

 

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