Man looks for dog, becomes suspect in Pearland

A story from KHOU caught our eye yesterday morning — it was about a guy in Pearland who was asking people about a lost puppy, which totally freaked out at least one parent. It went like this: Sunday afternoon, a 7-year-old girl was playing in her driveway near Sumac and Old Oaks when a young black man pulled up in a gold Chevrolet Impala and asked if she had seen a lost puppy. The girl's dad was working in the yard; he yelled at the guy and the guy drove off. So the parents called the police, who sent info about the mystery man to local law enforcement agencies and stepped up patrols in the girl's neighborhood.

All of which made us wonder: What if the guy really was looking for a lost puppy? As it turns out, he was: Police located the man, who was in Pearland visiting his sister, and he actually had lost his dog. Even so, Pearland Police Det. Donald Patterson said the parents and neighbors did the right thing:

"Everyone did what they were supposed to do, we were notified by concerned parents, neighbors looked out for each other, we got a lead and found the person. It's good that this is an instance where his intentions were mistaken and not an actual event."

So we hope you've learned a lesson: If you're looking for a lost pet, don't pay attention to these tips, one of which is to wander the neighborhood and talk to everyone you see, including "the postman, paperboy, children, parents ... " Just put up flyers instead — you don't want to get arrested, do you?