On November 18, 2025, the English police faced a peculiar situation when multiple reports of an abandoned dog prompted action. But as the police managed to get a glimpse at what the issue really was, it was discovered that the “abandoned dog” wasn’t a dog at all; instead, it was something that no one could have anticipated.
Abandoned dog in reports turns out to be a different thing
In what can only be described as a hilarious misunderstanding, the Matlock, Cromford, Wirksworth, and Darley Dale Police SNT received multiple reports of an abandoned dog at the top of Slack Hill along Chesterfield Road last Tuesday, November 18, 2025.
Initially detailed in a Facebook post, the police responded after receiving reports of an abandoned “small, bully-type dog.” But the truth of the animal could not be any farther. While concerned callers said that the lonely dog was tied up near a street junction for the entire day, when a local SNT Officer responded to the area, it turned out that the dog in question was not a dog at all. In fact, it wasn’t an animal either.
It was a toy reindeer. The police responded humorously, claiming, “After being given some stern words about being seen in the middle of November, Officers left the fella to his break.” The comment section of the Facebook post was filled with comments from those who saw it.
“Saw this last night, I thought it was a statue of some description because of how stock still it was, gave me a bit of a start though,” one user commented (via PEOPLE). Another user commented, “I saw it yesterday & slowed down ready to stop…thankfully it was a dummy.” Of course, the hilarious incident also drew other comments and will perhaps be a fun little incident remembered by many for years to come.
