Camryn Escoto was away from her home in Fresno, California, for a few days and decided to FaceTime her uncle on Sunday to check in.
That’s when she noticed something — a dog was in the background of the video chat that she had never seen before.
The Fresno Bee reported that when Escoto returned home from her trip and went to take her own dog for a walk, the additional pooch came along.
“I went to open the gate and I had a collar on and I was trying to hold him back at the same time to let her out,” she said.
“I can’t restrain him and he just bolted out. I couldn’t control him. He’s way too powerful for me. He just continued on his walk with us. I didn’t want to get too close with him because I didn’t know his temperament.”
Well, the dog just happened to be Odin — a K-9 from the Madera County Sheriff’s Department.
Odin had gone missing from his handler’s yard on Sunday, according to a Facebook post from the department.
“Home surveillance footage shows the dog climbing over the top of his 6 foot kennel, and subsequently climbing over the 6 foot fence of the backyard,” the department said.
Escoto ended up posting to the neighborhood app Nextdoor to see if anyone knew anything about the doggie she had found. That’s when she realized the police were searching for the lost K-9.
The sheriff praised Escoto for reuniting Odin with his handler.
“We cannot thank Ms. Escoto enough for her swift response reporting Odin’s location,” Sheriff Tyson Pogue said.
“Our community has proven once again what a truly tight knit, compassionate, supportive place it is, and we are proud to serve each of you. We feel fortunate and grateful for this outcome, and once again thank all of those who helped the extensive search efforts today.”
Escoto is just happy she could help.
“I know how they feel — the feeling of not knowing where your dog is at, if they’re even alive,” she said.
“The longer that they’re gone, the longer the hope starts diminishing. I’m really happy that I could be of service and bring him back to his family.”
