At the intersection of happenstance and need, there was a border collie and the Bangor Police Department. A woman in Waldoboro contacted the department when she saw two officers were in Washington, D.C., escorting a Wreaths Across America trip to Arlington National Cemetery. She had a request: Would the officers pick up her rescue dog?

The woman had adopted a 14-week-old border collie puppy in Virginia named Tessa, but didn’t have a way to transport the pup to Maine before Christmas. She saw the officers were in the neighborhood and wondering if they had room for an extra passenger.

It was not a tough sell. From the Bangor PD Facebook page: “The conversation went like this-

TC: ‘Can you two bring a puppy back from Virginia after your visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday? I am working on a Christmas miracle.’

Officer Jordan Perry: ‘Yes, let me check with Danny’ (Hollers to Danny) ‘The Lieutenant wants to know if we can pick up a puppy in Virginia and deliver it to Maine.’

Officer Danny Place: ‘Of course.’ ”

As you might expect, the Facebook post about the journey has gone viral, being shared over 7,000 times as of 8:30 a.m. on Thursday.

https://www.facebook.com/bangormainepolice/posts/10156017779751079

On Friday, the officers were given a bag of dog food for the prospective passenger.

.@BANGORPOLICE Officers Place and Perry were given a big bag of dog from a total stranger before we left today! The ???? will be well fed. #WreathsAcrossAmerica #NEWSCENTERmaine pic.twitter.com/QobuzPIEnA

— Zach Blanchard (@ZachBlanchard) December 15, 2017