save a dog, drive a mini

[Chriv]

so, of all the people acting to save the dog on the freeway,they must have known the MINI driver was the best one to interview. Way to go LtRex!

[tgs91]

could you share the story link?

[Chriv]

I tried to find the link on line, but wasn't able to. In the St Louis POst-Dispatch from May 15, there was an article about a dog who had been lost, was spotted and, as people were trying to capture him, ran onto Highway 40. The dog managed to evade all the oncoming cars without injury and was returned to his owner in one piece. Lt Rex was one of the people involved in the recovery and was the person interviewed for the story.

[tgs91]

Thanks all the same

Bottom line.....Lt Rex done good!

[SiouxsieQ]

Missing dog rescued on highway after dodging cars and cops
By Patrick M. O'Connell
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Thursday, May. 14 2009
Frontenac — As traffic slowed and weaved around her, Stoli darted in and out of
the lanes on Highway 40, avoiding bumpers, tires and a band of police officers.

The dog, a puffy white 4-year-old Bichon Frise, had been missing for five days.
She resurfaced Wednesday morning in Frontenac, on a busy highway — her fate
looking precarious as she frantically dodged cars.

But these hustling cops would eventually nab their target. When it was all
over, the dog was safe, the police were relieved and Stoli's owner was beaming.

"I think she's happy to be home," said owner Judy Hennessey of Crystal Lake
Park, which is nestled between Frontenac and Town and Country.

A woman who saw one of the many "missing" fliers plastered in the neighborhood
initially spotted the wayward pooch Wednesday morning.

By about 10:30 a.m., Hennessey and a group of friends and neighbors started
chasing Stoli through woods and yards. But she headed for the highway, bringing
traffic to a virtual standstill between Spoede and Ballas roads.

Flooded with 911 calls about a dog in traffic, Frontenac police zig-zagged
through traffic to slow motorists, shocked at how Stoli managed to avoid
getting hit as she dashed between the eastbound and westbound lanes for about
half an hour.

Finally, officer Cody Loveless corralled the dog near a sound wall. Stoli was
frightened but otherwise unhurt.

"Motorists out there really had their heads on straight, that's what I'm most
happy about," Loveless said.

When she was reunited with her owner, Stoli panted and went for Hennessey's
coffee. Hennessey replaced the brew with water, which Stoli promptly slurped
away.

Stoli had slipped out of the backyard Saturday and gotten lost. When she still
had not been found by Tuesday, Hennessey was sure her dog had been stolen or
eaten by coyotes.

"Everyone was really, really wonderful about this," said Hennessey, a freelance
writer who spends most of her days working at home with Stoli by her side. "I
feel like the luckiest person in the world."

Frontenac police Lt. Rex Baumgartner, one of the officers who was on the
highway, marveled at Stoli's luck in avoiding disaster.

"I'm tempted to ask Mrs. Hennessey if I could borrow the dog to go buy lottery
tickets," he said.

Meanwhile, Hennessey's husband, Timothy, headed to Home Depot.

He wanted to buy new fencing.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/new...2?OpenDocument

[Chriv]

Thanks for the story

[American Mini Mates]

Be sure to read "The Art Of Racing In The Rain", it is written in a dog's perspective, all you dog lovers won't be able to put it down.
I couldn't, and we own a cat.

[ofioliti]

Great story! Thanks for posting Chriv. I missed this in the PD.

Doug, I will read that book this summer.

[LtRex]

Oh gosh.............

The dog was lucky, and FAST! Glad to return her to the family unharmed. The nice family catered lunch for the PD the following day!

[Wolfeee]

Job well done!