When Chico wandered into the Odessa Police station in Texas earlier this year, officers quickly got out their phones to snap photos of his sweet face.

It’s not every day a dog turns himself into the police.

His crime?

He had wandered away from home.

Of course, Chico doesn’t seem like a dog that needs much assistance, so the one-year-old Husky/German Shepherd mix spent much of his time playing with employees.

The photos of the dog with his paws up on the desk were posted to the department’s Facebook page around 3:30 am and quickly started making rounds on social media.

Chico’s owner was asleep when the playful pup had snuck out of the gate and sauntered up to a mile away to the station.

In fact, it wasn’t until the dog’s photos went viral that he realized just what had happened.

Chico had never been to the station before and no one knows why the dog chose that building. (But he does love to play fetch and you can always count on the police station to have the lights on at any time of day.)

Perhaps he sniffed out some willing playtime playmates.

Sergeant Rusty Martin was among the officers who were on duty when the dog arrived, and he was so playful and happy that they wondered if he had just stopped in to brighten up their night shift.

The dog’s collar had fallen off, so animal control was called in to do a microchip reading.

In the meantime, he got lots of affection and even the chance to play his favorite game – fetch.

“We had a tennis ball and threw it in the lobby for a bit. Everyone loved him,” Martin said.

But Chico is a slippery fella and when everyone was busy, he slipped right back out the door before his microchip could be read.

“He ran out just as quick as he came in,” Sergeant Martin reported. “He let himself out and after an exhausting search was not found.”

Luckily, he went straight back to his home.

When NewsWest 9 caught up with Chico’s owner, he joked that the pup was originally meant to be a guard dog but was simply too friendly. Now he’s just a rambunctious – and very much loved – pet.

It was the owner’s nephew who called the next day to ask if that was Chico he saw making an appearance on Facebook. And while the owner recognized his dog, the pup was already back in the yard as if nothing had happened!

So sneaky!

In fact, when the police mentioned that the dog had bolted, it was the owner who had to call THEM and report that he was safely back home.

When the local news took Chico back to the scene of the “crime” a few weeks later, he was thrilled to see everyone and basked in the attention yet again.

While the police say that Chico is welcome back any time, we’re sure his owner is going to keep a closer eye on the gate, as well as the dog’s collar, from here on out.

Hopefully, any further visits will be supervised.

Be sure to scroll down below to see an interview with Chico’s dad about his sneaky nighttime antics.

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Source: Bored Panda, Support Our Permian Basin Police Officers via Facebook, NewsWest 9 via YouTube