A Massachusetts police department has a Christmas canine caper on their hands!
Officials at the Franklin Police Department were confused when their holiday toy donations for the Santa Foundation started slowly going missing.
Lo and behold, officers discovered one of the department’s golden retriever therapy dogs, Ben, was the culprit.
On Dec. 18, the department shared a video on social media of the dog with a toy baby in its mouth, walking down a hallway and into a room where it keeps its stash of toys.
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“We learned an extremely valuable lesson today. When you have a classroom full of toys ready to be shipped off to the Santa Foundation, you should 1. Close the door to the classroom or 2. Keep the toys elevated,” the police department wrote in the post’s caption.
“If not, a golden retriever will slowly hoard them throughout the day and bring them back to his lair,” the post continued. “Thanks to Officer Cusson for capturing this larceny on camera.”
Thankfully, the pup’s “lair” wasn’t too far out of reach for officers. The toys, carefully collected by the department, will still make it to their little benefactors.
“We’ve had several officers that have worked very hard to make sure that some of the kids in town and the community that have needs will have something to open on Christmas,” Deputy Chief James Mill told Boston25 News.
He added: “When Ben saw the toys, he thought they all belonged to him.”
Mill said Ben has the run of the station but has since been banned from this particular room.
“It was an easy solution. Ben here is now banned from this room. I mean, he’s gotten his slobber all over them at this point so the police department has replaced them,” Mill said.
Despite his canine crimes, the department’s furry companion is still the life of the party.
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“He’s like that guy who shows up to the party that everyone loves,” Mill said. “If Ben walks in, it’s like a ray of sunshine.”
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