Officer adopts dog she found in Indiana with zip-tied snout. ‘The perfect addition’

A doberman found alone with a zip-tied snout was adopted days later — by the Indiana officer who discovered him.

South Bend police officers, including Stephanie Northcutt, responded to a call Friday, Feb. 9, about a loose dog with its snout zip-tied shut. Good Samaritans tried to catch the dog but had been unsuccessful.

But not Northcutt, who police said was able to build trust with the doberman to safely catch him. Video shows her crouching and slowly approaching the dog, who was quickly comforted by the officer.

Northcutt, shown in the video with a tattoo of a paw print on her wrist, petted the dog as a citizen helped free his snout.

The dog was taken to South Bend Animal Resource Center, police said. Northcutt’s relationship with the doberman, however, was only just beginning.

Police said Monday, Feb. 12, Northcutt adopted the dog she has now named Zeus.

“Officer Northcutt said she knew the moment she laid eyes on the pup that he was the perfect addition to her family,” police said.

Zeus is doing “extremely well,” police said, and he will not suffer any long-term effects from his injuries

It’s familiar territory for Northcutt, who previously adopted a dog she “rescued from a tough situation while on patrol,” police said.

“She joked that the dispatchers at St. Joseph County 9-1-1 should stop sending her to animal calls because she will soon rut out of room at her house,” police said.

Northcutt also plans to sponsor two adoptions at the animal shelter “after seeing how deeply this story has affected” the South Bend community.

“Thank you Officer Northcutt,” the South Bend Animal Resource Center said in a Facebook post.

South Bend is about 70 miles southeast of Chicago.

This story was originally published February 13, 2024 at 9:05 AM with the headline "Officer adopts dog she found in Indiana with zip-tied snout. ‘The perfect addition’."