There's no doubt that having your pet go missing is a deeply traumatic experience. Every pet owner who's lost their furry friend knows all too well the anxiety associated with not knowing where your beloved animal is, or whether or not they will ever come home.

But this week a remarkably clever dog has ended up inadvertently going viral on social media this week, after getting lost and doing the obvious thing: going to the police station all by himself to report himself missing to the authorities!

Per The Dodo, in the early hours of February 11, a stray dog wandered into the reception area of the Odessa Police Department in Texas, and jumped up to greet the cop on duty at the time. The dog, named Chico, was wearing a collar, but the ID tag had apparently fallen off. However, he later decided to bail, and allegedly made his way back to his family all by himself!

Pictures of the clever dog were later uploaded to the Facebook page Support Our Permian Basin Police Officers and captioned: "So.... this happy guy randomly strolled into the front desk of the Police Department last night. We’re thinking he wanted to apply for a K-9 position after eliminating a Lassie type situation. [sic]"

The post continued: "He was given lots of love and attention until he decided it was time for him to leave. He let himself out and after an exhausting search was not found. We were relieved to learn he safely returned to his owner. Chico is welcome back anytime. ? [sic]"

Speaking to The Dodo about the incident, Sergeant Rusty Martin stated: We were all excited to have him in the building. We had a tennis ball and threw it in the lobby for a bit. Everyone loved on him."

Martin added: "He ran out just as quick as he came in. The owner responded the next day [to say that] it was his dog and he had returned home. He lives about a mile from the station ... I was impressed. He may just be cut out for this work."

There's no doubt that having your pet go missing is a deeply traumatic experience. Every pet owner who's lost their furry friend knows all too well the anxiety associated with not knowing where your beloved animal is, or whether or not they will ever come home.

But this week a remarkably clever dog has ended up inadvertently going viral on social media this week, after getting lost and doing the obvious thing: going to the police station all by himself to report himself missing to the authorities!

Per The Dodo, in the early hours of February 11, a stray dog wandered into the reception area of the Odessa Police Department in Texas, and jumped up to greet the cop on duty at the time. The dog, named Chico, was wearing a collar, but the ID tag had apparently fallen off. However, he later decided to bail, and allegedly made his way back to his family all by himself!

Pictures of the clever dog were later uploaded to the Facebook page Support Our Permian Basin Police Officers and captioned: "So.... this happy guy randomly strolled into the front desk of the Police Department last night. We’re thinking he wanted to apply for a K-9 position after eliminating a Lassie type situation. [sic]"

The post continued: "He was given lots of love and attention until he decided it was time for him to leave. He let himself out and after an exhausting search was not found. We were relieved to learn he safely returned to his owner. Chico is welcome back anytime. ? [sic]"

Speaking to The Dodo about the incident, Sergeant Rusty Martin stated: We were all excited to have him in the building. We had a tennis ball and threw it in the lobby for a bit. Everyone loved on him."

Martin added: "He ran out just as quick as he came in. The owner responded the next day [to say that] it was his dog and he had returned home. He lives about a mile from the station ... I was impressed. He may just be cut out for this work."