PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation and Department of Public Safety teamed up to rescue and return a dog to its family on New Year’s Eve after eyeing it on a traffic camera in west Phoenix.
ADOT Traffic Operations Center supervisor Scott Stenbakken on Wednesday identified a white dog near the area of the Interstate 10 and 83rd Avenue.
Stenbakken alerted a DPS trooper about the missing dog and, after checking a Facebook page for lost pets in the Valley, he saw a photo of a dog named Nala.
He wasn’t sure at the time if the dog caught on the camera was Nala, but he messaged the owner anyways, according to a press release.
The trooper was thankfully able to get the dog’s attention before it headed onto an I-10 on-ramp and, with the help of a bystander, got a leash on the dog and pulled it to safety.
While the rescue was taking place, the owner got back to Stenbakken and said the dog caught on camera was Nala. Stenbakken contacted the trooper about the news and the trooper was then able to call the owner, who drove over and reclaimed Nala.
“I’ve been monitoring the (Facebook) page since last year, when another dispatcher spotted a dog on a freeway that had been missing for over a month,” Stenbakken said. “That’s how we found that dog’s owner.”
If you find a stray pet, especially if it was lost near major roadways, ADOT advised Valley residents to call 911. You can also follow one of several calls to action found online.
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