Last week, two policemen drove over 600 miles to return a dog to its rightful home after they promised a man in need of medical attention that his dog would be taken care of.
Frank Kuhl, from Wall, N.J., was called to the aid of a 34-year-old man from Myrtle Beach, S.C., who was in need of medical attention. The man was passing through the Garden State at the time with Bella, his female basset hound.
Bella was given into the custody of the Monmouth County Humane Society while her owner was receiving medical care. But according to the organization’s policy, the pooch could only be reserved for a week before being put up for adoption.
After one week, neither the man nor the dog’s co-owner, who was a member of the man’s family, could make the long trip to pick up the dog.
Kuhl, who had promised the man that Bella would be kept safe, took it upon himself to make sure the dog was returned to her rightful family.
“It pulled on my heartstrings a little bit,” Kuhl said. “I have two dogs at home, and I got a vibe that this guy feels the same way about dogs that I do.”
Instead of letting the dog be put up for adoption, Kuhl and his family took temporary custody of Bella and began planning the 650-mile road trip down to Myrtle Beach to return the pooch to her owner.
“My whole family pitched in a lot during that time,” said Kuhl. “Bella got along great with everyone.”
Kuhl and fellow police officer Michael Tancredit made the drive to return Bella to her home last Friday, where the dog was successfully reunited with her owner.
“I felt like we built a lot of memories,” Kuhl said.