“All right, you can be trooper today.”

Earlier this month, Sergeant Brett Claxon of the Ohio State Highway Patrol encountered a dog in a perilous place, standing in a lane of traffic on a busy interstate.

Fortunately, approaching cars all came to a halt, and the trooper was able to intervene before the dog was injured. But after sweetly leading the pup to the safety of his patrol vehicle, Claxon realized, briefly, that he was no longer the one in the driver’s seat.

As body camera footage shows, the tables had turned:

“Are you going to be trooper today?” Claxon is heard asking the dog, who was settling in behind the wheel. “All right, you can be trooper today.”

It wasn’t long before Claxon was able to regain control, moving the dog into the back seat. But by then, things had gotten personal. In a good way.

The trooper went so far as to post to his Facebook page, hoping to track down the lost dog’s family:

Ohio State Highway Patrol later returned with an update on the case: “We’re happy to report that our furry friend was safely returned to its owner.”

It remains unclear how the dog ended up in that spot on the road, but one thing is certain — despite having his authority momentarily challenged, Claxon’s warm and welcoming spirit had helped save the day.