Lost dog wearing Halloween costume in Freehold, NJ is reunited with family

Maybe he was trying to get a jump start on trick-or-treating or wanted to show the neighborhood his snazzy Halloween costume. No matter what happened, this story has a happy ending.

Freehold Township police took to its Facebook page to report a small white dog had been found in the area of Woodcrest Drive on Wednesday.

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The little pooch was dressed for Halloween as either a shark or a dolphin, an unusual detail that police had hoped would get the pet home sooner rather than later.

"Fortunately, a good Samaritan took the dog in for safekeeping when he saw it walking unattended but sharply dressed. The owner was able to make contact with them soon after," said Detective Sgt. Joseph Winowski.

This could have had a completely different ending. Winowski said pet owners should have a collar with a tag on their animal. Microchips are great but he said most police agencies don't have the ability to read them and have to wait for animal control to respond to see if the pet is chipped.

"In incidents like this, our ability to get pics out on social media often leads to the pet being identified and reunited quickly," he said.