Police dog escapes during Fourth of July fireworks

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The Fourth of July, with its accompanying noisy fireworks explosions, is tough on a lot of animals. (Here in L.A., the county shelters even extended their hours of operation over the holiday weekend in an effort to deal with the expected increase in lost dogs and cats.)

But, although we expect the unexpected from our pets during the Fourth, we tend to think of working dogs as calm and unflappable. Not so in the case of J.J., a Spokane, Wash., drug-sniffing dog who escaped from his kennel Saturday night when he apparently panicked at the sound of nearby fireworks.

J.J., a 4-year-old black Labrador retriever, apparently has only one Kryptonite -- loud noises. His handler foresaw trouble on the Fourth and placed him in a seemingly secure kennel at a police training facility. But, the Associated Press reports, J.J. managed to bend the metal clasp that held the kennel door shut and jumped over a 6-foot fence to make his escape.

Fortunately, the dog was found near the training facility the following morning, exhausted but otherwise none the worse for wear.

-- Lindsay Barnett

Video: CNN