Loose dog stops traffic along I-17 in Phoenix

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Southbound traffic along Interstate 17 was temporarily halted this morning, all because of a little dog.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety says they first received a call at about 6:30 a.m. when the pup was spotted halfway up a wall near Northern Avenue.

Troopers, as well as Arizona Department of Transportation workers, tried to wrangle the dog, but when it wasn't cooperating the goal became to just get him off the freeway.

DPS says if the dog were to get away and head into oncoming traffic, drivers could slam on their brakes, causing an even greater safety threat.

"We couldn't do it," Trooper Kameron Lee said. "I think people were probably on the edge of their seats if they were watching it live. We were trying to catch this dog, so eventually we were able to kind of herd this dog off the freeway so we could open it up, and it ran into the neighborhood."

The dog was last spotted near the Glendale exit of I-17 southbound.

If you come across him, you're asked to call animal control.