Clever shelter dog Dawson escapes in West Virginia and finds his way home

IN AN extraordinary display of canine intelligence, a shelter dog named Dawson escaped from the Huntington Cabell Wayne Animal Shelter in West Virginia by unlocking his enclosure and manipulating the front door lock with his teeth.

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The remarkable incident began around 2:30 a.m. on January 4, when surveillance cameras captured the 5-year-old pit bull mix pushing open his gated enclosure, then standing on his hind legs at the front door where he gnawed on the lock until it turned, allowing him to slip quietly into the night.

“We just thought the last person had forgotten to lock the door, which would be very unusual,” said Courtney Proctor Cross, the shelter director. The facility was hosting an adoption event and didn’t immediately notice Dawson's absence among the approximately 130 dogs housed there.

It was only the following morning when staff realised Dawson was missing. Upon reviewing security footage, they were astonished by what they saw. “We've never had anything happen like that before,” Proctor Cross said. “That is one smart little dog.”