‘Ninja’ dog trapped with box on head freed from predicament -- then runs away

MOBILE, Ala. — A dog that had a box stuck on its head and avoided officials in southern Alabama for several months was finally freed -- but then became elusive again.

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Witnesses said the animal had been roaming near the James T. Strickland Youth Center, a detention center in Mobile, WKRG-TV reported. According to a Facebook post by the Mobile County Animal Shelter, the box had been stuck on the dog’s head for nearly a year.

“The best way to describe (the box) is (it is) the top of a trash can, like a public trash can that you would see out on the street or in a fast food restaurant,” City of Mobile Animal Services Director Robert Bryant told the television station. “You know, you walk by, throw your trash in it, and then it closes. It was basically one of those as if the dog were going through the trash somewhere and couldn’t get the box back off his head when he stopped.”

Attempts to trap the dog to remove the box were unsuccessful because the box was too big, Mobile County Animal Shelter wrote on Facebook. Officials attempted to tranquilize the dog and use a net gun, but nothing worked as the animal would retreat into nearby woods to elude the volunteers.

On Feb. 21, the rescuers finally had some success.

Shelter volunteer and advocate Martin Miller said that workers “formed a line” of barricades to snare the wayward dog.

“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. And this dog ran to me, and I didn’t really know what to do at this point, so I grabbed the lead,” Miller told WKRG. “I had my arm around the tree because it was a big dog, and I just held on for dear life and eventually freed his head.”

Mission accomplished, but it was unclear whether the animal had suffered any long-lasting injuries. The dog ran away immediately after being freed, Miller told the television station.

“The best word for that dog is he’s a ninja,” Miller said.

If the dog is recaptured, it will undergo behavior tests and medical evaluations before officials decide whether to put it up for adoption.

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