Pound pup makes break for freedom, ends up on roof

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A dog's unusual escape attempt from the pound has earned him the name Monkey Dog.

"We've had them crawl out, but we've never had one on the roof before," said animal control officer Mark Hastings.

Monkey Dog made his escape from the Poplar Bluff Animal Control Shelter on Thursday morning by climbing up about 6 feet of cattle panel, which is made up of thick welded wire in a 5-by-6-inch mesh. The dog crawled through one of the top meshes and jumped across 2 1/2 feet to the roof of a smaller shelter building. He then jumped from there back over and up 2 1/2 feet onto the top of the larger building. If he would have jumped down after climbing through the wire mesh, he would have landed inside the shelter's walkway.

Even though the temperature was in the 90s, Monkey Dog, with tongue panting, refused to come down from the roof for 90 minutes. Hastings finally coaxed him down at about 11:15 a.m.

"He's friendly. He just doesn't like to be kept in captivity," Hastings said. "He'll be a good dog for the county. I don't think anybody can keep him in the city."

Hastings was caring for some dogs at the shelter on Butler Street Thursday when some men from a nearby auto dealership ran over and told him there was a dog on the roof. The roof of the shelter is 9 feet off the ground and is 14 feet high at the apex.

Hastings had an idea which dog it was because on Wednesday one had climbed out of its cage and jumped up and across to the roof of a smaller shelter building.

"He thinks he's Snoopy," said animal control officer Bill Locke.

Locke said Friday the dog is now in a special pen he can't escape. He said due to Monkey Dog's good nature, he will not be euthanized and will be kept until he's adopted.

Monkey Dog weighs about 25 pounds, is about 9 months old and is believed to be a Labrador mix.