Dog escapes Long Island pet hospital

LONG ISLAND (WABC) -- A hospital stay can be scary for people and even our four-legged friends.

But when one dog on Long Island wanted out of the vet's office, he made it happen and he didn't let anything stand in his way.

Not even a dead bolted door.

Pharaoh, a German shepherd recovering from surgery wanted no part of a veterinary office.

A security camera caught him making for the exit where after a few swipes of the paws, he was out of there.

Somehow Pharaoh unlocked the deadbolt and turned a round doorknob, in just a few seconds.

"Absolutely the best escape artist, Houdini dog I ever came across," said Dr. Peter Kowalewski.

Dr. Kowalewski still can't figure out how he did it in the middle of the night at the Hauppauge Animal Hospital.

Pharaoh had been locked in this state-of-the-art cage but managed to jimmy it open.

Then, he turned out of the post-op room, nosed open the door and made for the back exit, whose deadbolt was no match for the persistent pooch.

But Pharaoh wasn't home free quite yet, after all he was confronted by a giant fence. It stands more than six feet tall. So he jumped up and with his front paws he pushed down on a lever, opened the door and away he went.

24 hours later, an alert jogger happened to notice Pharaoh still wearing a surgical cone in a park, a few miles from the animal hospital.

After walking down busy streets and dodging traffic, he was tired but alive and well. He's now back home with his family in Sound Beach, though when Eyewitness News stopped by, his owners were out and Pharaoh did not open the door.

Back at the vet's office, they're relieved and a little embarrassed, but still joking that he should try for his own reality show. A true 'Hound-ini' with a mind of his own.

Web Produced By: Scott Curkin

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