The photo of a police officer and a horse lying alongside each other on the street has gone viral, for the most heartbreaking of reasons:
Because the horse is dying.
The picture, which comes to us from My Fanatic per the Houston Police Department Facebook page, features a horse named Charlotte and her partner, Officer D. Herrejon.
According to authorities in the area, Charlotte had served as a police horse for four years when she got scared by a cement truck and bucked Herrejon off of her.
The animal was then fatally stuck by the truck, while the officer was taken to the hospital as a precaution but did not suffer any injuries.
“We admire the heart & strength of this officer because as you know, when you lose an animal, to be with them during their last breath is a heartbreaking & tough thing to do,” wrote the department as a caption to this image.
It has received over 10,000 Likes on Facebook.
Added the police department in regard to Charlotte and her time as a police horse:
“She loved her job and was always ready to go to work putting bad guys in jail or giving nuzzles to children. She served the citizens of Houston for 4 years.
“She will be missed.”
