"Hector," obviously homeless, was picked up by Lake Oswego police on June 15 as he was lazily sunning himself in the Public Golf Course parking lot.
Now, more than a week and a half later, Hector remains firmly in custody. And no one has come forward to get him out.
But the Oregon Humane Society still hopes Hector, a friendly bearded dragon, can be reunited with his owner.
"We're guessing that because he's in beautiful physical condition that someone is missing a beloved pet," said Ulli Neitch, the Humane Society's chief criminal investigator. "Whoever owned him took really good care of him."
Bearded dragons, native to Australia, look fierce -- like a living, breathing prehistoric monster right out of "Jurassic World." But despite their appearance, the lizards are docile and become tame easily. They soon become accustomed to being handled and are calm around children.
Their so-called "beards" are actually the expandable undersides of their throats, which puff up and turn black when threatened or startled.
Community Service Officer Dan Phillips of Lake Oswego police got the call when Hector was spotted in the parking lot.
"When I was a kid growing up, I used to catch lizards, so I had some experience," Phillips said. "I just walked up behind him and picked him up."
Hector, for his part, opted for no drama and quickly settled down in a cardboard box.
Phillips then took Hector to Lake Oswego's 911 dispatch center - LOCOM. The dispatchers there named him Hector, though nobody is truly sure if the lizard is male or female.
They also called Neitch, at the time concluding a 20-year career as an officer with the Milwaukie Police Department, where she earned a reputation for taking on difficult or odd animal cases.
"I'm familiar with that type of Aussie lizard, so I took him home," Neitch said.
Neitch put Hector in a nicely appointed, temperature-controlled terrarium with access to water. She has offered him a variety of leafy vegetables that generally make up the bulk of a bearded dragon's diet.
"But he seems to prefer crickets right now," Neitch said. "He's very friendly. He'll stand up and puff up to look big if he doesn't recognize you right away. But then, he'll sit on your lap when you watch TV."
Neitch urged anyone missing a friendly bearded dragon or who knows where Hector may have come from to call LOCOM at 503-635-0238.
-- Rick Bella rbella@oregonian.com
503-294-5915; @southnewshound