Throwback: Pets rescued on Arizona highways over the years

Every so often, we get a call about a dog or cat that has made its way onto the freeway. Not only are these extremely dangerous situations for the animals, it also threatens the safety of unexpecting motorists and the responders – often, ADOT crews – who attempt to rescue them.

No one wants to think about their beloved pet in a situation like this. That’s why it’s important to always make sure your pet is secured in your home, yard and, especially, in your vehicle when traveling with them. Find more tips about keeping your pet safe in the car here.

Here, we’re recounting eight times ADOT was able rescue pets and reunite them with their owners and help them find a forever family.

First, an important reminder: If you see an animal on the freeway, stay in your car and call 911. It may be tempting to get out of your vehicle to try to help them, but by doing so, you could be putting yourself, other drivers, first responders and the animal in more danger. It’s always best to leave it to the professionals.

Resilient Payton

Payton, an adorable cocker spaniel puppy, was rescued from I-17 in Phoenix during the morning rush-hour in 2012.

The poor pup suffered a severe leg injury, cuts, bruises and broken teeth. She ended up losing her leg, but otherwise made a full recovery and found a new forever home thanks to the Arizona Humane Society.

“She was very fortunate,” an AHS spokesperson said. “Unfortunately, many are not so lucky.”
 

Lucky Lexi

In early 2014, ADOT employees Steve Maynard and AJ Gonzalez  were measuring the smoothness of the road surface on State Route 260 near Payson. On their way back to Phoenix, they witnessed a truck almost hit a dog on an overpass.

The German Shepherd mix was scared and appeared to be malnourished, but after turning on their emergency lights, they eventually were able to safely get the dog to approach them and get in their car. Luckily, the dog had a collar and tags that listed her name as Lexi and showed she was registered in Pima County. 

They got the pup some food and water, and with help from the Pima Animal Care Center, they were able to contact Lexi’s owners to tell them their dog had been found after going missing two weeks before on Christmas Day.

“The owners were so happy,” Maynard said. “They had pretty much given up hope of finding her, so to call and let them know their dog was alive was a great feeling.”

Lexi, who was reunited with her family, was very lucky to cross paths with Maynard and Gonzalez roughly 10 miles from where she went missing.

Mama Dottie

In 2016, operators at ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center (TOC) spotted a little dog on the traffic cameras when the pup ran across the lanes of SR 51 during rush hour and jumped onto the media wall.

Gil Estrada, a traffic reporter who worked out of the TOC at the time, was able to pick the dog up and bring her back. From there, Jayson Winter, one of ADOT’s TOC operators, took the dog to an emergency veterinarian who gave her an exam and confirmed she wasn’t microchipped.

With no collar or microchip, there was no way to find the dog’s owner, so ADOT put the word out through social media, and a number of news outlets helped spread the story.

The Arizona Equine Rescue Organization heard about the story and offered to provide a safe home for the pup and gave her the name Dottie, in honor of ADOT.

As it turns out, Dottie was an expectant mother at the time of her rescue. Not only did Dottie find her forever family, but so did her six puppies, who now all live on the same street with neighbors and family members.

Curious George

ADOT received a desperate phone message from a dog owner in 2018 after he realized his beloved dog George had apparently sneaked out of the car at the Burnt Well Rest Area on I-10 in Tonopah. The owner immediately turned around, but was already nearing Phoenix by the time he realized George wasn’t in the car.

Luckily, Michele Meredith, a resident caretaker at the rest area, found George and took care of him until the owner returned. Soon, George and his owner were very happily reunited.

Roadside Wrigley

ADOT Maintenance Supervisor Brett Rupp was driving west on SR 260 along the Mogollon Rim in 2019 when he spotted a Shetland sheepdog along the highway shoulder.

Rupp and his crew managed to catch the dog, named Wrigley, and get her to safety. Good thing Wrigley had a phone number on her collar, and they were able to reunite her with her family, who said their Sheltie had escaped from their campsite the previous day.

After a late night and early morning of searching, the family was afraid they had lost Wrigley forever, and expressed their gratitude to the ADOT crew for reuniting them.

“We’re glad we were able to return the dog to its family,” Rupp said. “Whether it’s a lost dog or a stranded motorist, we’re happy to help when we can.”

Brave Millie/Gracie

In 2020, a three-month-old kitten found herself in a treacherous situation clinging to a drainage grate on US 60 near Mill Avenue in Tempe. Thankfully, Ray Shaban, a member of ADOT’s Incident Response Unit, sponsored by GEICO,, happened to spot the small gray-and-white cat on the side of the road.

“When I got there, the cat wasn’t moving,” Shaban said. “But when I went over and touched her, she moved. She was really scared. She was holding on to the grate. I picked her up and comforted her.”

Shaban, who had two cats himself, named the sweet cat Millie, after Mill Avenue, and she rode on his dashboard on the way to the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control shelter in Mesa, where she was examined, treated for minor wounds and spayed.

But her story with ADOT didn’t end there —she was adopted by Kathy Cline, an ADOT Public Information Officer and cat-lover who renamed her beloved furry friend Gracie. 

Another Dotty

Earlier this year, ADOT’s TOC received a call one morning about a kitten wandering along the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway near Vee Quiva Way. It was serendipitous that IRU member Derik Woitaszewski was working at the time, since he had rescued another cat on the freeway about two months earlier.

“With help from the TOC and photos of the location, I was able to go right in front of the cat and find it immediately,” Woitaszewski said.

But despite his best efforts to keep it calm, the kitten ran down the shoulder of the highway. Woitaszewski finally caught up with the cat and put it in his truck, where it snuggled into the storage compartment of his passenger door.

Since the cat did not have a microchip, this became another case of an ADOT employee giving a rescued kitten a home, and also another case of an animal being named “Dotty,” in honor of ADOT.

Sweet Sunflower

This summer, while setting up traffic control near SR 87 for crews fighting the Diamond Fire, ADOT crews found a pitbull-mix puppy fleeing the fire. They decided to call her “Sunflower,” named after the nearby town.

ADOT maintenance supervisor Brett Rupp called around but couldn’t find her owner, so he got her out of the heat, gave her some water and brought her to the Humane Society of Central Arizona in Payson.

Sunflower had an ear infection, ticks and a little road rash, but, fortunately, was in good condition. Unfortunately, she did not have tags or a microchip.

“Sunflower is doing great, considering the circumstances she has endured,” said Nicole LeBeau, the facility’s medical director. “She can be a little nervous at first, but … It took less than a week for her to really flourish and bloom into this amazing dog who seemed like all she wanted at the end of the day was love.”

LeBeau said Sunflower appeared like she was cared for at some point, but no one came forward looking for her. Luckily, she quickly found a forever family who said she was settling in well to her new home.

“It was a very loving couple that came in and they were so excited to bring Sunflower home into their life and just really make her part of her family,” she said. “Which is what we hope for with every adoption.”