Watch as police therapy dog caught stealing donated Christmas toys

A police department’s therapy dog has been caught in the act, stealing donated toys for disadvantaged children.

Franklin Police department, in Massachusetts, shared a video after one of their officers spotted the dog, Ben Franklin, making his way between the classroom, where the toys were being stored, and his bed a suspicious number of times.

Sergeant Brian Johnson said: “One of the officers working the night shift saw Ben was padding between his bed, which is under a desk, and the classroom where we are keeping all the toys.

“When they saw him walking out of the classroom, they were like: ‘What is he doing?’

“He took out his phone to film him and see what was going on.”

Sergeant Johnson said: “When Ben realised he was being chased he began to speed up, trying to sneak the toy into his bed before he got caught.

“When the officer followed him, he realised Ben had a number of plush toys under there.”

The recovered toys are being collected for the Santa Foundation, a charity that delivers presents to families in need during the holidays.

Sergeant Johnson said: “We don’t want any child to feel like they don’t deserve to get anything, or that they are not worthy.”

Now that he has finished his crime spree, Ben Franklin will go back to his day job as a therapy dog for the station. His main beat involves de-escalating distressed children.

Sergeant Johnson said: “Ben has two speeds: slow and sleeping, and he does both of them very well. He is great at helping calm children.

“You can’t help but feel relaxed and better around him, he is a very calming influence.”