Dog Rescued After Surviving 5 Weeks On A Freeway Median

They're calling this dog Freeway Frida after she was finally rescued after living frightened for five weeks stuck between a busy California highway median.

#1 She Jumped From A Truck

A German shepherd was rescued by police in Galt, California after surviving for at least five weeks on a freeway median. A witness had reported the dog almost five weeks before she was finally rescued, saying that she jumped out of a pick-up truck. Galt police went to search for her that day but were unsuccessful.

#2 Dozens Of Calls About A Dog On The Highway Median

In the days and weeks that followed, dozens of calls kept coming in about an injured dog seen wandering down the center median of the highway in the oleander bushes. Officers kept searching without luck. "People have been calling the police department reporting that they keep seeing this dog, but every time we're out there, we can never find the dog," Galt police officer Sylvia Coelho told KTLA 5.

#3 Living Under The Only Patch Of Shrubbery

People noticed a dog hiding in the bushes on a median on Highway 99 near Simmerhorn Road as early as five full weeks before she was captured and saved. When the Galt Police Department said they got their first call about the animal falling from a light blue Ford pickup truck in the area, they feared the animal may be dead somewhere or had run off. That area has extremely high traffic and the only patch of shrubbery is right around the sign where the dog was hiding. Six different attempts to locate the animal had failed.

#4 Freeway Frida Is Rescued

Last weekend the police and animal patrol received yet another call of a limping dog and immediately went to try and rescue her once more Sheo was now five weeks into her outdoor living under the shrubs without food or water. They closed down a portion of the southbound traffic on Highway 99, allowing them to catch 'Freeway Frida' as she was dubbed. In the jump or fall from the truck, the dog broke her tibia and will need surgery. She had been limping around for over a month in pain and was clearly frightened after spending so many weeks next to the traffic of the busy freeway.

#5 She Is Recovering But Needs Surgery

Frida is now recovering and gaining strength at VCA Bradshaw Animal Hospital in Elk Grove, CA. Reuniting her with her family may be hard since the dog was not microchipped and there has been no missing German shepherd reported in that area. She weighed 40 pounds when she was admitted. Normal weight for her breed is between 65 and 75 pounds, according to the hospital. It's believed she managed to find some food to survive, perhaps garbage tossed from moving vehicles. They are planning to operate on her broken tibia as soon as she gains more strength.

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