Crawford Coates A police video with a happy ending. That went viral. Is it even possible?
With more than 1,000,000 YouTube views--and counting--this video has it all: a cute dog, a touch of drama and a happy ending, all because of a police officer who did a good job.
"The most common comment I've gotten from the video is people saying they are glad to see a police video that isn't negative," says Officer Nick Sheppard. "People said it was nice that I was polite to the woman who made the call. It would be nothing, you know, if people weren't so cynical towards police officers."
Judging from the comments, Sheppard's video has won him some fans. A typical comment from the YouTube page: "The dog is soooo cute. Thanks officer. I love u."
At the time of the video, Sheppard was new to the Plattsburg (Mo.) Police Department. "Plattsburg is a small town, about 3,000 people," he explains. "There's no real dedicated animal control. Police officers get to do a little bit of everything there."
"It all started with a call for a dog stuck in a fence," says Sheppard, who is now with the Missouri Western State University Police Department. "The best I can describe it, he got his foot stuck in one of the squares as he was jumping over it."
So the dog lay on the lawn, whimpering and wagging his tail, until Sheppard arrived.
"After I cut the wire, he just took off. I was worried I wouldn't find him," says Sheppard. "I was also worried because I'd left my car unsecured, which I shouldn't have done. When I saw him sitting in my car, I was as surprised as anyone else."
But the real happy ending came soon after the video was captured: "About an hour later his owner--an old farmer from outside of town--came in and got him."
To view the whole video--endearing profanity and all--visit Plattsburg PD's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=1373399347533.