The Hague: — Hours before a rare snowstorm hit the city last month, Sergeant Erik Smit got a call from dispatch: A Jack Russell was locked out on a third-story balcony.

Neighbours heard it barking and knew that the owner, who had left for work at 7:30 am, would not be back until the end of the day, when the terrace would be covered by several inches of snow.

Smit, a 39-year veteran of the national police force, rang a few doorbells and yelled some questions to curious but uninformed residents. He then radioed for a 22-tonne fire truck with a crane and platform.

A half-hour later, at a taxpayer cost of roughly €500 euros ($750), the rescued dog was warming up in an animal ambulance. Smit got back into his squad car and continued his day.

"He'll have to call me and explain the situation," he said of the dog's owner, who would eventually be fined €150 euros for animal neglect.