Dog rescued on Phoenix freeway

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Police and animal lovers are breathing a sigh of relief Monday, after DPS troopers were able to safely remove a dog off a Phoenix freeway.

The incident happened Monday morning.

"The dog looked like it had been running around quite a bit, it's paws looked a little bloody," said Mike Grzybowski with DPS, who was the first on scene. "I couldn't tell if it was hit or not or injured or hurt in another way, but it was pretty much spent."

SkyFOX was overhead in the middle of rush hour on the I-10 at 7th Avenue at around 7:30.

"Most of the time, they're not happy to see us chasing them around the freeway," said Grzybowski.

This dog, however, was, and maybe it was because of Patrick Stoner, who some are calling the "Dog Whisperer".

"That's what they're saying, I don't think so," said Stoner. "It was just the heat. The heat and the dog being friendly helped us."

It was a quick rescue of the side of the highway.

"I try and earn its trust by lowering my hand to the lower part of its face, so that it knows that I'm not trying to hit it, actually coming to help it," said Stoner.

As of Monday night, the dog is at the Maricopa County Animal Shelter in Phoenix.