By Kathianne Boniello
The newest member of the 111th Police Precinct in Bayside has been getting more attention in her first week than the average rookie would ever dream about.
There were no meetings with the captain, tours of duty, or training sessions for the new recruit. Instead, a shampoo, food, and a trip to One Police Plaza in Manhattan were the drill during Pookie's first week at the 111th.
Pookie is an Old English sheepdog with a gentle personality who was taken in by the officers at the 111th after she jumped into a cab in Bayside early last Thursday morning.
Community Affairs Officer Santo Elardo said the dog jumped into a cab at the Clearview Expressway and 45th Avenue as a human passenger was getting out.
When the cab driver realized Pookie was out on the town without a human companion, he took her to the 111th, Elardo said.
“She was filthy dirty,” he said. “We had to give her several baths.”
The cops were able to use information from Pookie's name tag to contact her veterinarian in Ozone Park.
Workers at Veterinary Care Unlimited identified the dog as 11-year-old Pookie and put the 111th in contact with her owner.
Elardo said the owner, who lives in Ozone Park, was out of town until this week. The members of the 111th Precinct will care for the dog until her owner returns, he said.
Pookie was living it up at the Bayside precinct house, basking in attention from nearly everyone who walked through the door Friday morning.
Elardo said there was a long line of officers at the precinct who expressed interest in adopting the dog before her owner was contacted.
The dog has also attracted the attention of most of the major media and Elardo said several television stations had called for an interview with Pookie.
While the dog seemed content as she got ready to travel with Officer Dorothy Bachop to the New York Police Department headquarters in Manhattan, there was still one mystery surrounding the arrival of the pooch.
“No one knows how she got here from Ozone Park,” Elardo said.
Even though Pookie's journey was puzzling, one thing was for sure, he said.
“We're going to have a pet here for a few days,” he said.
