Adapted from a blog post by the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD)

It wasn’t “Take Your Dog to Work Day,” but that didn’t stop a stray pooch from barging in on our colleagues at the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) in Kent recently.

One chilly morning in late January, Erika Overall, an executive assistant in the MRJC administrative offices, saw a shaggy intruder with his head wedged in the front door. As she opened the door, he waltzed in like he belonged.

“He went back to the copy room and laid down on the floor,” Overall said. “He was probably cold. We gave him some treats and some water. If you got too close to him, he’d growl at you a little bit and let you know he wasn’t too happy. So we just let him stay there.”

Overall called Regional Animal Services of King County, while HR analyst Jacob Black perused the web for lost dog posts.

The response was almost immediate.

For more than a month Travis Overly had been searching for Tucker. The nine-year-old akita disappeared a few days before Christmas. Overly had been looking everywhere – he even hired a drone pilot to help, with no luck.

“Honestly, I’d kind of given up,” Overly said. “I’d started looking for a new dog.”

The folks at MRJC contacted Overly and texted photos to him. He recognized Tucker from the markings on his nose, and just minutes later Overly and his dog were reunited.

Overly offered a cash reward for Tucker’s return, but the county employees politely declined. Instead, Overly said he would donate the money to a local group that helps reunite lost dogs with their owners.

Despite the dog’s unauthorized entry into a secure county facility, he was released to his owner with no further ado.

Our thanks to Erika, Jacob, and all the good folks at MRJC for telling us about this “Happy Tail,” and to Travis for the photos.