A video has taken social media by storm as a police force captured the moment an officer attempted to serve legal documents—only to be hilariously thwarted by an unexpected culprit: a dog.

In the resurfaced footage, captured on body-worn cameras, Albany Police officers in Eastern Perth, Australia, arrive at a residence to serve a Violence Restraining Order (VRO).

But as the officer prepared to hand over the paperwork, the household dog intervened in the most unexpected way—grabbing the documents and running off with them.

Paris Subertin, from the Western Australia Police Force, told Newsweek: “We shared this footage simply for a laugh. Our officers face incredibly challenging situations every day, so when two of them stumbled upon such a funny scene, it was hard not to share. It’s not every day that a dog steals VRO papers, and we figured it was one of those moments that just had to be seen to be believed.”

After the initial canine set-back, the officers were eventually able to serve the papers to the individual, and decided to share the rare, and hilarious, moment.

“The video was created by the Police Media and Content Team for social media and features Albany Police officers on their body-worn cameras.

“The officers were attending a residence to serve a Violence Restraining Order (VRO). The officers were able to serve the papers shortly afterwards. The house was occupied by a Sovereign Citizen, so the Albany Police suspected it may take them some time to serve the VRO,” explained Subertin.

A Sovereign Citizen, referred to as SovCits, traditionally “sought to dissociate from society and refuse to engage with societal requirements like paying tax,” a document released in 2022 by the Australian Federal Police, says.

The paper, entitled ‘The Sovereign Citizen Movement in Australia’ by Stephen Dametto, Acting Assistant Commissioner, Counter Terrorism & Special Investigations, went on to say: “Sovereign Citizen groups in Australia tend to operate with a confidence that they are morally and legally justified in their beliefs and actions, and/or with a confidence that they will be vindicated once the Government is deposed….

“While some members can be hostile, and protest activity can always attract those wanting to act violently, the movement itself is generally claimed to be non-violent.”

Originally taken last October, the video quickly spread beyond the official police account and was reshared by TikTok user @della_anton, where it has been viewed more than 460,000 times. In the comments, people shared their reactions in the comments.

@Bikes.Trucks.Beck01, joked: “Nope not acceptable, if the excuse wasn’t acceptable at school for homework then he can’t use it either.”

While @Sarah Wellard wrote: “Imagine having to go back to work and be like, ‘The dog ate it.'”

@Sarah Weindl was impressed by the sheer precision of the canine’s antics: “That wasn’t even aggressive – that was TARGETED,” she wrote in the comments on TikTok.

“Bahahahhahaha. that’s gold,” said viewer Aries – 33.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.