SOUTH ROCKWOOD, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 911 call that came into the South Rockwood Police Department sounded so strange that even the sergeant who answered it wondered whether someone was just seeing things.
"Caller claims there is an ostrich walking in the roadway," the dispatch audio said.
"I'm thinking, you know, maybe somebody saw something they thought was an ostrich or something else," Sgt. John Price of the South Rockwood Police Department said.
But when Price arrived on South Huron River Drive, he found something else entirely.
"It was an emu," Price said.
WATCH: Emu named Meesha takes an unexpected stroll through South Rockwood before safe return home
Price said he has been doing this job for 37 years, and he had never responded to a call like this one.
"Not an emu, no," Price said.
That left him with a question: How exactly do you get an emu out of the road?
"Well your first thought is, do I have an animal control officer on duty because that would be a great help for me," Price said.
But the answer wasn't that simple.
"Unfortunately they weren't close so on the way over I'm thinking of different ways of maybe getting a tarp or some kind of net. I have nothing like that in my patrol car," Price said.
Then the emu's owner arrived on the scene.
"I'm driving and I see police and I'm like that has to be it," Kelly Dokey, Meesha the emu's owner, said.
Dokey said her emu, Meesha, had gotten out after her kids opened the door to the pen. Her family is new to the neighborhood, and Dokey said Meesha isn't used to the area yet.
"They come in, everyone's freaking out, like the emu's out, the emu's out. It went across the street into the field," Dokey said.
She figured out where Meesha was after a few posts popped up on Facebook.
"I see on Facebook like everyone is tagging me because not everyone has an emu and everyone knows I have an emu," Dokey said.
Dokey arrived just in time. She said Meesha isn't particularly fond of men.
"And then plus I have my uniform on too so it's like a double whammy against me," Price said.
So Price took a step back, and a neighbor stepped in to help.
"I grabbed her feet, we scooped her up, she grabbed her head, and the officer hurried up and opened the Bronco door and the window and we shoved her in there, I'm like, we have to be quick, and he shut the door and that was it," Dokey said.
Dokey said she's grateful for the help from neighbors and police.
"You know you always like animals are on the loose, keep your animals locked up, I mean we do, we take very good care of our animals," Dokey said.
After an unusual trip down South Huron River Drive, Meesha is now safe and sound back home.
"After doing this for so long, you don't always have the happy endings so when you are able to laugh and joke about having an emu in your village, well that's a good day then," Price said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
