A pet tarantula was stuck on top of a house in San Mateo, the call into the Peninsula Humane Society reported.
Hearing the dire situation, an animal control officer rushed to the poor creature's rescue immediately.
The officer scaled up a ladder and made her way over to the abandoned spider while the caller and two of the homeowners waited below. After a closer look, she realized it – the tarantula was just a forgotten Halloween decoration, according to SFGATE.
"She said it looked like it had been up there for a while," said Buffy Tarbox, the Peninsula Humane Society's communications manager. "I guess if you don’t like spiders, that's the better outcome."
She retrieved the spider regardless. When the spectators below were told the truth, they couldn’t help but laugh, said Tarbox.
"The homeowners didn't know the decoration was there," she added. "Everyone thought it was real."
It's not completely unheard of for this to happen to the real thing, according to Tarbox. Tarantulas aren't usual pets, but they are available for adoption at the humane society, and they can be found in the wild.
The homeowners didn't want the fake spider, so the officer brought it back with her to the humane society's office in Burlingame.
"It became this funny thing where they were placing it on various people's desks," said Tarbox. "That joke wore a little thin. It was put into the trash."
Even though the tarantula was found some time over the last month, and the joke is over, she hopes it provides an important example of what the humane society’s mission is. "We will assist any animal that needs our help," she said. "We're not going to turn our back on a dog, or even a hairy tarantula."
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