Kathy Perry was something of a hero in the dog world Friday when she went out of her way and actually put her life on the line to rescue a scared and helpless canine she witnessed running into traffic.
The wayward puppy narrowly escaped death shortly after noon on Friday when the Manteca woman coaxed it to come to her and snatched it up in the outside lane of North Main Street before it could dash back into traffic. While traffic in the outside lane stopped, the inside lane motorists continued to speed by the dog.
“God, I looked and saw that little things and it scared the heck out of me,” she said.
The eight-month-old is believed to be a Cairn terrier mix that had gotten away from its owner. It was seen trailing a red leash through the north and south bound lanes of the roadway – so small it was almost impossible for motorists to see it dashing through the passing vehicles.
Two teenage boys walking on the sidewalk failed in their attempts to call the dog to them. It only ran back into the street across two lanes of traffic narrowly escaping its death in the process. When it got to the yellow center line it turned around and ran back to the east side curb.
Another motorist pulled his vehicle on the wrong side of the street attempting to slow traffic and get the dog into his car. Half crawling and half running the dog ran to the front of his car when Perry was pulling out of an adjacent business driveway. She leaped from behind the wheel with the dog obviously unsure of her intent.
She and the dog were both protected by the other motorist’s vehicle as she literally got down on her hands and knees and used baby talk as the pup slowly responded to her – slowly crawling in her direction. She picked up the little female and it immediately snuggled up next to her neck.
Thinking the animal probably had come from a car or truck in the parking lot of two restaurants directly across the street, the other motorist checked with the patrons to see if anybody had lost a dog that actually looked like a miniature poodle – no one responded.
The pup was taken to the Community Pet Clinic nearby and it was given a bath and had its nails clipped for good measure. Patty Toews then stepped forward to care for the animal when its rescuer wasn’t available to further support its needs. She said she has since found the perfect home if the owner doesn’t come forward and identify the dog by the design on its collar.
Toews can be contacted by calling (209) 607-4377. She has already placed a lost and found ad in the Manteca Bulletin to hopefully alert the owner.
The wayward puppy narrowly escaped death shortly after noon on Friday when the Manteca woman coaxed it to come to her and snatched it up in the outside lane of North Main Street before it could dash back into traffic. While traffic in the outside lane stopped, the inside lane motorists continued to speed by the dog.
“God, I looked and saw that little things and it scared the heck out of me,” she said.
The eight-month-old is believed to be a Cairn terrier mix that had gotten away from its owner. It was seen trailing a red leash through the north and south bound lanes of the roadway – so small it was almost impossible for motorists to see it dashing through the passing vehicles.
Two teenage boys walking on the sidewalk failed in their attempts to call the dog to them. It only ran back into the street across two lanes of traffic narrowly escaping its death in the process. When it got to the yellow center line it turned around and ran back to the east side curb.
Another motorist pulled his vehicle on the wrong side of the street attempting to slow traffic and get the dog into his car. Half crawling and half running the dog ran to the front of his car when Perry was pulling out of an adjacent business driveway. She leaped from behind the wheel with the dog obviously unsure of her intent.
She and the dog were both protected by the other motorist’s vehicle as she literally got down on her hands and knees and used baby talk as the pup slowly responded to her – slowly crawling in her direction. She picked up the little female and it immediately snuggled up next to her neck.
Thinking the animal probably had come from a car or truck in the parking lot of two restaurants directly across the street, the other motorist checked with the patrons to see if anybody had lost a dog that actually looked like a miniature poodle – no one responded.
The pup was taken to the Community Pet Clinic nearby and it was given a bath and had its nails clipped for good measure. Patty Toews then stepped forward to care for the animal when its rescuer wasn’t available to further support its needs. She said she has since found the perfect home if the owner doesn’t come forward and identify the dog by the design on its collar.
Toews can be contacted by calling (209) 607-4377. She has already placed a lost and found ad in the Manteca Bulletin to hopefully alert the owner.
