A runaway dog has become an unlikely symbol of Texan resilience in the face of the devastating Hurricane Harvey.
A German shepherd mix called Otis was snapped making his way up a street in Sinton, Texas, over the weekend with a huge bag of food in his mouth.
The hound had escaped the care of Salvador Segovia, 65, who had been looking after him for his grandson Carter.
Mr Segovia discovered Otis had taken his leave on Friday night and then found his big bag of dog food was also missing.
He told the Houston Chronicle: "I kept yelling his name and yelling his name and he wasn't around”.
The grandfather ended up driving around his neighbourhood in search of the errant pooch before a neighbour told him they’d spotted Otis wandering around with his bag of food in tow.
Mr Segovia managed to track the dog down before his grandson, who Otis has comforted through hospitalisations for seizures and asthma, returned home.
Mr Segovia added that Otis was already something of a local celebrity. He said: “Otis can go to Dairy Queen and he can get a hamburger. He's the only dog allowed to lie down in front of the county courthouse.
"He's not a stray. He's a good dog."
Before he was reunited with Mr Segovia, another resident of Sinton, Tiele Dockens, snapped a picture of Otis on his travels and posted it to Facebook. The picture has been shared nearly 40,000 times.
The heart-warming picture comes amidst harrowing scenes Tropical Storm Harvey has caused since it hit Texas on Friday evening. It has left at least nine people dead in its wake and around 30,000 have been displaces as floodwaters have inundated large swathes of the south east coast.
A German shepherd mix called Otis was snapped making his way up a street in Sinton, Texas, over the weekend with a huge bag of food in his mouth.
The hound had escaped the care of Salvador Segovia, 65, who had been looking after him for his grandson Carter.
Mr Segovia discovered Otis had taken his leave on Friday night and then found his big bag of dog food was also missing.
He told the Houston Chronicle: "I kept yelling his name and yelling his name and he wasn't around”.
The grandfather ended up driving around his neighbourhood in search of the errant pooch before a neighbour told him they’d spotted Otis wandering around with his bag of food in tow.
Mr Segovia managed to track the dog down before his grandson, who Otis has comforted through hospitalisations for seizures and asthma, returned home.
Mr Segovia added that Otis was already something of a local celebrity. He said: “Otis can go to Dairy Queen and he can get a hamburger. He's the only dog allowed to lie down in front of the county courthouse.
"He's not a stray. He's a good dog."
Before he was reunited with Mr Segovia, another resident of Sinton, Tiele Dockens, snapped a picture of Otis on his travels and posted it to Facebook. The picture has been shared nearly 40,000 times.
The heart-warming picture comes amidst harrowing scenes Tropical Storm Harvey has caused since it hit Texas on Friday evening. It has left at least nine people dead in its wake and around 30,000 have been displaces as floodwaters have inundated large swathes of the south east coast.
Aww gorgeous dog! He must've been terrified of the storm.