Houdini dog cleverly escapes shelter

Employees at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, found themselves amazed and astonished on Tuesday morning when they discovered Houdini the dog was missing. Security video showed that the 5-year-old Australian Shepherd had managed to escape his kennel and open two doors in the building to leave the HSPPR. Gretchen Pressley, the Humane Society’s Communications Specialist told KKTV 11 News, “No one has ever gotten through the door into the rest of the shelter before. This was new for us.” Pressley noted, "He had to actually push down the handle, push the door open and walk through it in both cases."

Houdini’s great escape was only his opening act. When he left the building at 1 a.m., the pooch traveled to a neighborhood a mile away and presto, found himself an adoptive family. Ashley Heister found Houdini around 7:30 a.m. walking in her neighborhood and took him to work until the shelter opened. While she spent time with him, Ashley was convinced that Houdini belonged in her family. Ashley said, “I think he’s a wonderful dog and as much as I would love for his owner to come and claim him, I would can’t wait to welcome him into my family.” Interestingly, Ashley’s dog Max, a retriever mix, shares Houdini’s talent and can also open doors.

The shelter waited until Saturday to allow for Houdini’s original owners to claim him. On Saturday his owners appeared and Houdini, whose actual name is “Rope,” was reunited with his family. The humane society micro chipped the pup free of charge because of his high escape risk. So hopefully, Rope will not find himself in the same predicament.

More information: KKTV, Facebook/Humane Society Pikes Peak Region