By Brett Gillin
Do you know the most adored set of state troopers in the U.S.? The answer is quickly becoming the men and women of the Idaho State Troopers. But they’re not getting these accolades for their stellar driving techniques or handing out warnings instead of speeding tickets. Instead, at least two Idaho State Troopers have become internet celebrities and the objects of much swooning thanks to their dedication to protecting and serving our four legged friends.
On Tuesday, Idaho State Trooper Stephen Acheson became the darling of the cat-loving internet thanks to a Tweet. According to this article on KBOI2, Acheson was patrolling the Twin Falls area in Idaho when he noticed something unusual. Acheson saw a tiny kitten running along a busy highway.
Rather than simply drive on and silently hope the little guy would be okay, Acheson decided to take action. He stopped his patrol car and rescued the little kitten. To the delight of the entire internet, he also decided to take a quick selfie with the newly rescued feline. Before long, the Idaho State Police’s official Twitter reposted the selfie with the always-adorable #kittyselfie hashtag.
Lest you think that Acheson is the only animal-rescuing, selfie-snapping Idaho State Trooper, take a quick look at Idaho State Trooper Ryan Hoxie, via this story on KBOI2. Last month, Hoxie became Hercules’ hero when he saved him from the side of yet another busy highway.
Hercules’ owners were worried sick that their puppy had escaped from their yard. It had been five days since Hercules wandered from his house, and his owners were beside themselves. Thankfully, trooper Ryan Hoxie was patrolling along Interstate-84 when he spotted the pup.
Hercules was running along a fence, just a few yards away from the busy highway. Hoxie pulled over and began approaching Hercules. The puppy didn’t take much coaxing to join the trooper. “He was pretty excited to see somebody I think,” Hoxie told reporters. “He’d been out there for a couple of days.”
Hoxie found out from his dispatch that someone had reported their dog, matching Hercules’ description, missing a few days earlier. Hoxie tried contacting the owner, but he couldn’t get in touch with him, so he did the next best thing: Hoxie snapped an adorable selfie and dropped him off at a local animal shelter.
Later that day, Hercules was reunited with his owner, happy and in good health thanks to the caring actions of trooper Ryan Hoxie. Stay tuned for the next Idaho State Trooper and adorable animal selfie. If history is any indication, we should get another in in the coming weeks.
