A crash involving 17 dogs took a surprising turn when responding police officers decided to book the terrified dogs into a nice hotel for the night.
It happened around 2 a.m. early Sunday, June 5, at the intersection of South Pine Avenue and Southwest Fort King Street in Ocala, about 80 miles northwest of Orlando.
“The van was a dog transport and was delivering multiple kenneled #dogs of all sizes to various owners across the US,” the Ocala Police Department said in a news release.
“The van was inoperable due to the damage and the transport drivers had no other form of transportation. ... A plan was devised.”
In the hours that followed, the department’s “midnight shift” was able to find a hotel that had enough space for the drivers and the 17 dogs.
“Next, a motorcade of patrol cars, including our negotiator ambulance, was assembled to transport them all to the local hotel safely until they could procure transportation the following day,” the department said.
“No one involved in the crash was seriously injured and all the dogs appear to be fine.”
A photo shows the dogs arrived by ambulance before being taken to their room on luggage racks.
It’s not clear if they were then allowed to order room service, too.
The transport service was operated by Retro K9, and the company thanked police on Facebook, along with a note saying the dogs were safe at the hotel.
Police didn’t say who is footing the bill for the hotel, but a fundraiser was launched late Sunday to help the company recover “unforeseen expenses” for the company.
Thousands have reacted and commented on the police department’s social media post about the incident, with many praising the officers for going the extra mile.
“Wow bringing tears to my eyes,” Melissa Smyers posted.
“This is the kindest thing I have read in a long time!” Wendy Nelson wrote.
“Great job thinking outside of the box,” Kristen Dreyer said.
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