A quiet day turned into unexpected excitement in Lakeville, Minnesota, when police dispatch received a flurry of emergency calls from the same suburban home—sixteen calls, to be exact, all within just 30 minutes. What officers discovered upon arrival wasn’t a case of human distress, but a case of canine curiosity gone hilariously awry.
Police officers Emiles Bares and Roberts were dispatched to investigate the source of the persistent 911 calls. When they arrived at the home, instead of being greeted by a concerned homeowner, they were met by two overexcited dogs enthusiastically pressing their noses against the window.
“It was just kind of weird. Usually, people come to the door,” Officer Bares told Fox 9. “Seeing two dogs go hyper is not something I see all the time.”
Initially, the assumption was that the calls were some kind of electronic glitch. But given the high number of calls—sixteen in thirty minutes—the officers decided to investigate further. Reaching out to the homeowner at work, they obtained permission to enter the house and conduct a quick check.
Once inside, the mystery quickly unraveled. The two dogs had managed to get hold of a phone left on “Emergency Call Only” mode. Officer Roberts explained, “In theory, a dog could have dialed 911 by pushing the screen with its paw.” Apparently, that theory had become hilarious reality.
The phone had likely been knocked to the floor, within the dogs’ reach during their unsupervised time at home. As they pawed at and played with the phone, the Emergency Call feature allowed them to unwittingly request police intervention—again and again.
The officers said the dogs were friendly and showed no signs of anxiety, just a lot of tail wagging. When a reporter from Fox 9 tried to conduct a “microphone interview,” one of the dogs responded with enthusiastic sniffing, proving they were better at triggering emergency services than giving soundbites.
The homeowner took the situation in good humor and made it clear that the phone would be kept out of reach in the future. Though accidental, the incident raised an intriguing question in canine circles: could dogs actually be taught to call 911 on purpose?
According to Dr. Melody Jackson at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the answer is yes. She and her team have been researching how service dogs could be trained to use touchscreen technology to contact emergency services—a potential game-changer for people with disabilities or medical vulnerabilities.
While the Lakeville dogs weren’t trained for this task, their curious paws created an unintentional demonstration of just how accessible emergency features can be on modern devices. It’s a safety reminder for all pet owners to secure items like phones when leaving animals home alone—especially if those animals are as inquisitive as these two!
- Sixteen 911 calls in 30 minutes came from two dogs playing with a cell phone.
- Police were initially concerned about an emergency but found no human home.
- Researchers are studying ways to teach service dogs to contact help using touchscreens.
- The event served as both a humorous moment and a tech safety reminder for pet owners.
In the end, no harm was done—just a couple of furballs with a knack for dialing and a pair of amused police officers with a story for the books. While their actions weren’t heroic, they certainly lightened the day for everyone involved.
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