A police officer recently rescued a Doberman pinscher that was found with his snout zip-tied shut – and now, that same officer has welcomed the dog into her own family.
The South Bend Police Department in South Bend, Indiana, received a call about the stray dog, Zeus, on Friday.
Bodycam footage shows Officer Stephanie Northcutt holding out her hand and encouraging a frightened Zeus to come closer to her. The timid dog eventually relented and cautiously walked towards her. (Warning: Bodycam footage may be disturbing to some viewers.)
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While Northcutt held onto Zeus, a bystander cut the zip-tie off of his snout. It was so tight that Zeus’ snout had deep marks on it after it was removed.
The Doberman Pinscher, whose name is now Zeus, was rescued and then adopted by Officer Stephanie Northcutt. (South Bend Police Department)
The police department said that the bond between the abused animal and the officer was instant.
“Officer Northcutt said she knew the moment she laid eyes on the pup that he was the perfect addition to her family,” the South Bend Police Department wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.
After bringing Zeus home and introducing him to her other dogs, she formally adopted him with the help of the South Bend Animal Resource Center.
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The South Bend Police Department says Zeus is now doing well, despite the sorry state in which he was found. (South Bend Police Department)
“SBARC’s team says Zeus will likely not suffer any long-term physical effects from his injuries and is doing extremely well despite the bad hand he was dealt,” the South Bend Police Department wrote on Facebook.
The animal rescue was not Northcutt’s first rodeo, however.
“Zeus is actually the second dog that Officer Northcutt has rescued from a tough situation while on patrol,” the department added.
“She joked that the dispatchers at St Joseph County 9-1-1 should stop sending her to animal calls because she will soon run out of room at her house!”
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Officer Stephanie Northcutt made sure that Zeus would get along with her other dogs before she formally adopted him. (South Bend Police Department)
The adoption received a warm response from the community, prompting hundreds of Facebook users to thank the kindhearted officer.
“This makes me cry! Thank you for rescuing this sweet baby!!!” one Facebook user wrote.
“What A Beautiful Dog, Dobermans are special dogs!” another Indiana resident wrote. “So glad you found this sweet boy and helped him.”
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The South Bend community commended Officer Stephanie Northcutt for adopting the abused Doberman pinscher. (South Bend Police Department)
The South Bend Police Department is still actively investigating the incident.
Fox News Digital reached out to the South Bend Police Department for comment.
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