Dog saved after falling from truck, waiting by highway for 5 weeks

GALT, Calif. — Police in Galt, California, had been fielding calls about a dog roaming along the highway for weeks and assumed it was dead, but one last call helped save the animal’s life.

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KCRA reported the German Shepard, nicknamed Freeway Frida, fell from her owners' truck on April 10 without them realizing it. The dog roamed around the same area of the highway for five weeks, leading law enforcement to receive calls about the animal.

“Last week, when we stopped getting calls, I thought something happened, she, you know, died,” Galt police Officer Silvia Coelho said. But that changed at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, when Coelho said they heard that Freeway Frida was seen. “We are getting her today. That’s it,” he said. “It’s Saturday morning, (and) traffic is light. We are getting this dog.”

California Highway Patrol and Galt police joined up to shut down the highway and found Frida, who was initially resistant, but then allowed them to take her in. “She just laid down and looked at us with those big brown eyes and was like, ‘Oh thank you,' and like, 'Please help me,’” Coelho said.

KCRA reported Frida was emaciated and weighed only 44 pounds, which is 21 pounds lower than the average weight for German Shepards. “We were speculating on what she’s been doing for food and water these last five weeks,” Dr. Mike Johnson, VCA Bradshaw Animal Hospital in Elk Grove, said. “Maybe the rain.”

Authorities are still looking for Frida’s owners, but Coelho said he is happy she is now safe. “It made our day," he said. "The whole day we were just all smiles and so happy.”

Read more at KCRA.

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