Viral photo shows touching moment between Houston police officer and his dying horse hit by truck

It was not the scene you would want to wish you'd see every day being passed around online, but the touching moment captured in a photo has gone viral, anyway. Most likely because it was as much heartrending as it was admirable.

A snapshot of the final moments between a Houston Police officer and his dying patrol horse, Charlotte, has been circulating across the Internet in recent days. The officer was seen lying down flat on his stomach on a roadside with his arms wrap around the horse. He looked like he was trying to give comfort to his, seemingly, lifeless partner.

It was Thursday, Dec. 3, when Charlotte was reportedly spooked by a sudden loud noise and ran across the street where she was hit by a truck, according to Animal Justice League, a Houston, Texas-based dog and cat rescue organization.

According to WTSP, Officer D. Herrejon, not the one seen in the picture with the horse, was riding Charlotte but was thrown off when the animal was frightened by a cement truck. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution but is now doing well. The initial investigation has exonerated the driver of any liabilities.

"We've always said we support ALL animals and know the relationship with those animals & their person is an incredible thing," the Animal Justice League wrote on the Facebook post's caption.

"We admire the heart & strength of this officer because as you know, when you lose an animal, to be with them during their last breath is a heartbreaking & tough thing to do. Thank you to him for loving his partner & friend until the end. Our hearts go out to him & the HPD family. RIP Charlotte."

The Houston Police Department Mounted Patrol, through Senior Police Officer Ronald Curry, has also published its own Facebook post thanking everyone for their outpouring of support following the loss of patrol horse Charlotte, wrote the Huffington Post.

"She loved her job and was always ready to go to work putting bad guys in jail or giving nuzzles to children," the department wrote in their own post dated Dec. 4. The Houston Police said that their four-legged comrade had served as a police horse for four years.

Meanwhile, the Facebook post by the Animal Justice League has so far earned more than 5,600 shares and people have expressed their sympathy via the comment section. One user has even suggested for those horse breeders to donate a new foal for the benefit of the police force.