Owner Of Dog Running Through Center Of Secaucus 'Got On Bus:' Shelter

SECAUCUS, NJ — The dog that shut down traffic Tuesday as it ran through the center of Secaucus, being chased and ultimately captured by Secaucus Police, has become the biggest story in town — and one of the biggest mysteries:

Witnesses are now telling Secaucus Police they saw the dog left at the bus stop after his "owner" got on the bus. Animal Shelter director Christine Conte said this was relayed to her by police.

"All we were told by police was that people saw this dog with a person — I don't even know if it was a man or a woman — yesterday, and their owner tried to board a bus in the center of town, and was told by the driver 'no dogs allowed.' So the person got on the bus. And left the dog."

Reports of a loose dog dodging traffic prompted Secaucus Police to entirely shut down Plaza Center at about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday as they chased the dog through the center of town.

The dog was not hit by a car or injured at all; Police Officer Christopher Carpenter was able to safely capture it. The dog did not have a collar, tag or chip. He is an intact male, estimated to be about 2 years old, said Conte. She said he looks to be a Lab/hound mix.

"There is a lot of Lab in him. And the hound, he does like to sniff everything."

And there's more about this mysterious pooch:

"He is the sweetest, sweetest dog," gushed Conte. "He is very, very nice. He listens. He sits! He waits for you and he stays. He knows how to do paw. He eats his food very gently, he plays with toys gently and he even walks gently on his leash. He is the sweetest dog and he would be an ideal pet for a family with even young kids. He comes up to you if you're sitting there and puts his head on you. He snuggles. I cannot say enough how sweet this dog is."

So someone clearly trained this dog — but who? Conte said she heard people have seen this dog being walked on Paterson Plank Road.

"But if this was someone's dog that got out, we or the Secaucus Police would have gotten a call by now. That's why we've been putting his photo all over Facebook. We want to make sure word gets out that we have this dog. I will add that the dog is underweight and has some scars on him."

Conte said as of Wednesday afternoon, neither the town Animal Shelter or Secaucus Police have gotten any calls claiming the dog.

"People do a lot of strange things," she said. "There's a lot of people from out of town in the center of town; we have a lot of people residing in hotels these days in town, and they are allowed to keep dogs. So I really don't know what happened here ... but he is just too well trained. I just cannot imagine."

The dog is currently at the Secaucus Animal Shelter. (201) 348-3213 If anyone owns him, they have seven days to claim him, and they will have to show paperwork to prove it. After the seven-day hold is up, this dog will be available for adoption.

And this time next week, Conte said she expects the requests to start pouring in.

"He's a sweetheart! He's a wonderful dog, completely trained. He really is the perfect dog for a family with small children."

Secaucus Plaza Center Briefly Shut Down For Loose Dog