Stray dog rescued from California freeway
ARLETA, Calif. (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - It was a tense and dangerous situation in Arleta as a stray dog ran among speeding cars.
Thankfully, any tragedy was avoided when a kind soul opened her door to let the frightened pup onto her seat.
"I look to the left of the carpool lane," said Amber Streid. I see this little guy running like 10 mph. Opened it and for some reason he went right in."
Several others slowed down traffic and tried to help the terrified dog. After several attempts, the dog refused to get into anyone else's car other than Streid's.
"The couple in the truck started clapping and the guy in the white van started clapping," she said. "Happy I was able to get it."
"Lucky to be alive"
Streid was on her way home from a 12-hour shift as a cardiac nurse in Glendale when she found a lonely dog dodging traffic on the I-5 Freeway.
"Pretty much she came in, came to the driver's seat and went to my feet," she said.
The dog was bleeding from injuries to its paws.
All while Streid rescued the pup, her father Mark watched at home as the drama unfolded on live TV. He had no idea it was his daughter until he got the call.
"'I rescued a dog,'" Mark recalled his daughter saying. "I said 'Oh my gosh! I think I saw you on TV.'"
When Streid got home, the family called on their mobile veterinarian Joan Winter to stop by and examine the dog.
"She's lucky to be alive," said Winter.
"Somebody's pet"
Winter added that the dog seemed scared after the ordeal and wrapped her paws in bandages. Otherwise, the dog was fine. She also believes that the dog has an owner considering her appearance.
"She has an owner because she looks pretty well," she said. "She's somebody's pet."
Glendale nurse Amber Streid pets the dog she saved while on her way back from work.
Streid hopes to reunite the terrified dog with her owner.
"Look at the camera so people can recognize who you are," she said.
Winter said dog owners are legally responsible for any damage done to a car if a dog gets loose and gets hit.
