Distressed Dog Stuck in Canal Is Safely Rescued Thanks to a Tempting Pumpkin Muffin

You can add this water-logged German shepherd to the long list of pumpkin muffin lovers

Who needs a complicated search and rescue team to save a canine in a sticky situation when delicious carbs are within reach?

On June 17, Arizona's Glendale Police Department received a call about a dog stuck in a canal from someone who passed by the pup. A team of officers responded to the scene and found a distressed German shepherd caught swimming in the canal with seemingly no idea how to escape the predicament.

"Officers arrived on scene and located a tired German Shepherd swimming back and forth in the canal. Officer Sorenson took immediate action by removing his ballistic vest and gun belt and entering the canal to try and rescue the dog. The dog was skittish and did not immediately come to Officer Sorensen," the Glendale Police Department wrote of the rescue on Facebook.

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The police officers tried calling the dog over to the canal's edge, hoping to slip a leash around its neck, but the reach was too far, and the dog wouldn't stay close enough, long enough to make it happen. After several failed tries, one officer got a brilliant idea — who doesn't like a freshly baked bakery good?

"Officer Downey had just the plan. His wife had packed him some freshly baked pumpkin muffins for his patrol shift, and they were just the bribery needed for this little pooch," the police department added on social media, alongside a video of the rescue.

In the clip, Officer Downey removes the muffin from a police vehicle and says, "Try this. It's my wife's pumpkin muffins."

Officer Downey passes the treat to a fellow cop, Officer Sorensen, who climbs into the waist-deep water and calls out to the dog: "Look what I got!"

Related: German Shepherd Spotted Alone in the Rain Clutching Stuffed Animal Is Rescued with Her Toy

Although the dog was a little skittish at first, it must have gotten a whiff of the muffin that was too sweet to ignore because the pup ended up swimming right to the officer, licking its lips on the way.

Once the pooch got within reach of the treat, Sorensen picked up the German shepherd and pulled it out of the canal and onto dry land. In the video of the rescue, the squad of cops all cheer for the dog's safe return, with one officer saying, "Gimme that muffin," before handing it to the damp, appreciative dog.

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"There goes my muffin," Officer Downey laments. "You saved the pooch, though," his partner says.

The good news continued after the rescue. According to the Glendale Police Department's Facebook post, the dog was later reunited with his concerned family.

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