Rochester Police Department Gets the Last Laugh When Posting Photo of New Police Dog

The police department in Rochester, New Hampshire is redefining the typical police dog.

In a now viral post, Officer Geoff Moore is seen standing besides Hercules, an adorable little pug. While the pug is super cute, it is a far choice from the average police dog.

“Introducing the Rochester Police Department’s new K-9: Hercules,” Moore wrote on Facebook. “Hercules has been trained on how to aggressively hunt down any loose treats that may be in the vicinity. Don’t let the flat nose fool you. He also knows how to sleep all day no matter what the weather may be. He’s a sucker for a belly rub and does not enjoy running. Welcome aboard, Hercules.”

While the choice may seem a little unconventional, it is all in good fun. The post was actually a practical joke.

The photo was taken when Moore’s fiancée came to visit the station with Hercules. Moore saw the opportunity for a joke and decided to roll with it.

Capt. Jason Thomas explained that Hercules, “is not a member of their K9 unit and does not participate in community service for the department,” reported the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Since being posted, the photo has been liked over 70,000 times and shared over 55,000 times. However, Moore was surprised by the reaction to the post.

“I was very surprised at the public’s reaction to Hercules!” Geoff Moore wrote to Your Daily Dish. “It was my intention to have a little fun with that post to show the public that police officers are just normal people. A pug is obviously not a typical dog for police work, let alone a breed that people think a police officer would own.”

Moore is known for getting pretty creative on the Rochester Police Department’s Facebook page and wants to increase the amount of followers.

“The post is reflective of the type of open and friendly communication style Moore uses when engaging their audience,” Thomas told the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Since the New Year, Moore has added a light-hearted touch to the Rochester Police Departments Facebook page, hoping to get the community involved. He’s added “Most Wanted Monday’s” and taken a humorous approach to finding suspects.

“There were two theft suspects that had hair that resembled Harry and Lloyd from ‘Dumb and Dumber,’ so I commented that Harry and Lloyd parked their sheep van in downtown Rochester, came in and stole from the Cumberland Farms on Knight Street,” Moore said to WMUR-TV.

The post of Hercules set a record number of users for the Rochester Police Department.

“We’ve never gotten over one million people,” Thomas said to the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Moore hopes that his post will show the public that police officers can also joke around a bit.

“I just wanted the public to see that we can have fun as police officers while doing our job,” Geoff Moore wrote to Your Daily Dish. “I never anticipated this much attention towards the page, but I am glad that it is getting it!”