Texarkana Officer Responds to Vicious Dog Call and Instead Finds ‘Gold’

For a police officer, getting any call to respond is nothing to take lightly, but a call for a potentially vicious dog means having the proper procedures and know-how at the ready. The possibility that an animal can quickly go from calm to violent in the blink of an eye is everpresent. Pit bulls or dogs of a similar breed have long had a reputation for possible aggression, fueled by ample stories that are passed on from friend to friend, or even stranger to stranger. So, when a Texas policeman, Officer Travis Frost, was contacted to respond to a vicious dog potentially of such a breed, he made plans for the worst-case scenario.

A member of the Texarkana Police Department, Officer Frost arrived at the scene where a potentially aggressive dog had been witnessed, and despite the anticipated outcome, on the contrary, found the exact opposite. For those that recall the Tom Hanks film “Turner and Hooch,” (yes, I’m dating myself) you’ll know the exact scenario in which Frost found himself. A rather large, friendly pup was simply lying on the front porch of the residence, but the officer wasn’t yet sure of his demeanor.

Photo: Facebook/Texarkana Texas Police Department

The department’s account of the incident on their Facebook page indicated that Frost left his patrol car door open, in the instance he might have to make a run for it, should the animal prove to be as aggressive as the caller indicated. Instead, he whistled, and the animal in question simply trotted toward him, wagging his tail. After briefly getting to know one another with some petting and chit-chat, the dog made its way into the patrol car readily enough and hung out with Officer Frost until Animal Control made an appearance. In their cautionary post, the department noted, “Pit Bulls have a bit of a bad reputation. 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.” Through follow-up, Frost eventually determined that the dog’s name was “Gold” and he was an American bulldog. His owner was able to pick him up at a local shelter since the animal was chipped.