KXLY NEWS

SPOKANE -- Spokanimal took in about a dozen cats and dogs who ran away from home on the 4th of July due to fireworks. One of the more famous runaway stories comes from JJ, a Spokane Police K-9 who made a Houdini-like escape.

JJ is a drug-sniffing dog who can take down a criminal with one whiff, but his kryptonite is fireworks.

His handler thought the best location for JJ would be at the police academy, where they keep kennels for their K-9's. The kennels are surrounded by chain-link fence and the cages themselves are latched with a u-shape steel bar and locked.

Officer Devin Presta said that setup was no match for JJ when night fell and the fireworks began.

"I couldn't believe that a dog was able to pry open the steel clasp that held the gate shut, you know, he was very motivated," Presta said.

Presta says the 911 center received over 260 illegal fireworks calls on the 4th of July, no doubt some of those fireworks went off near JJ.

His handler returned that night to find blood and a deformed latch.

"He saw that the kennel had been pried open and JJ was no longer around," Presta said.

Officers believe that the dog used his teeth to bend it back and push through the cage.

Not only did JJ have to bend a steel latch back to get out of the cage, but he also had to scale or jump over two chain-link fences - one of which is six feet tall.

An urgent email was sent out by the police department, but fortunately JJ's handler found him Sunday morning running along the street next to the Police Academy.

"The outcome could have been one of many ways and we're glad that we were able to find him still in the area," Presta said.

JJ had no serious injuries from his escape and now that they know steel isn't enough to keep their K-9's from getting out Presta says they'll probably take a look at the facility to see if they need to put in additional safety measures.