Penitentiary Dogs

The story of one man who, in 1913, snuck his pet pooch Roofus into the Tennessee State Penitentiary and kept him hidden in his cell for nearly 8 years, sharing his meagre scraps of cafeteria food with the dog, until the man was up for parole and the dog was found when the man had to visit the courthouse. Given that the man's was a high profile criminal case, no one was surprised to find that the Tennessee governor visited his parole hearing. The Tennessee governor, being of ample stature, brought chicken with him to court. During the proceedings, he began choking on a chicken bone that had become lodged in his throat. Roofus to the rescue, though. Roofus saved the governor's life and earned his father a full pardon from the governor, who briefly changed the state motto to "Woof woof for Roofus" until it was changed back to "Agriculture and Commerce" a year later.