Hamilton police led Heather the horse home after nighttime stroll

Heather the horse led police on a slow five-kilometre nighttime stroll overnight after escaping her home off Rock Chapel Road.

Hamilton police were called to Rock Chapel around 12:55 a.m. Thursday after a driver noticed a horse walking down the dark road and was concerned she may be hit by a car, said Const. Indy Bharaj.

By the time the first patrol officer arrived the horse, described as a beige Belgian, had made her way to Sydenham Road.

The patrol officer - alone with her cruiser - didn't know how to coral the horse and was waiting for the city's animal control to arrive. She followed the horse as it turned and strolled down Sydenham heading toward Dundas.

Video posted by police shows the officer slowly driving beside Heather during her stroll. Meanwhile police were also working to figure out where the horse lived, eventually landing on an address near the RBG Rock Chapel Sanctuary.

Luckily officer Ryan Rodrigues, a former member of the mounted patrol unit was on his lunch break nearby, and made his way to the area. He managed to turn the horse around and walk her back home, to the surprise of her owners who were asleep and didn't know the horse was missing.

Heather was back home, gate closed, by 2:50 a.m., Bharaj said.

Nicole O'Reilly is a crime and justice reporter at The Spectator. noreilly@thespec.com