Hero Dog Escapes Animal Hospital After Discovering How Doors Work

In an era where men are dragged off airplanes, world powers inch closer to all-out war, and politicians point fingers at other politicians for every mishap imaginable, it's nice to be reminded that life isn't as utterly bleak as the internet makes it out to be.

Oftentimes it takes an animal committing a feat of greatness—like a rat stealing a slice of pizza from a dirty subway or a raccoon sneaking onto the back of a garbage truck—to remind us of the joy that's left on our planet. This week, that honor goes to General, a dog who managed to open three real, human-sized doors and sneak his way out of an animal hospital to freedom.

ABC News affiliate WJLA reports General, a ten-year-old Great Pyrenees, mounted his daring quest for liberation from Virginia's Aquia-Garrisonville Animal Hospital in the early hours of Monday morning. Security footage shows General using his snout and tiny dog mouth to first open the door to his pen in the vet's office and stroll among its grounds. He then moseys his way around before stumbling upon a second door, which he easily opens like some kind of canine lock-pick.

After slinking past a mountain of dog food in the hospital's hallway, he finally reaches his gateway to freedom: a heavy, metal door leading from the vet's office to the world outside. With a simple, elegant maneuvering of paw, body, and snout, he opens the third door and strides into the night, leaving his veterinary jail behind and never looking back.

The animal hospital alerted local police Monday night after realizing General had escaped, but he ended up nearby in the front yard of the vet's neighbors on Tuesday morning. With the help of an animal control officer, they returned him back to his cell at the hospital. His owner Travis Campbell, who was out of town visiting family when General disappeared, told WJLA General has an escape artist's knack for weaseling his way out of any situation he damn well pleases.

"He's a little Houdini," Campbell told WJLA. "When it comes to doors, he can get a lot of doors open."

Houdini or not, General's antics pale in comparison to Inky, a football-sized octopus who somehow managed to climb out of his aquarium, tread across the floor, and squish his body through a six-inch pipe to return to the sea last year. Like his aquatic counterpart, General's story offers a little glimmer of hope for us all.

Follow Drew Schwartz on Twitter.