A German Shepherd refused to leave the side of her Pit Bull buddy who’d probably been killed by a car on a busy New Jersey highway.
When Totowa Station troopers responded to a call during rush hour yesterday morning about two dogs on the shoulder of Interstate 280, they found the German Shepherd lying beside the Pit Bull — and she wasn’t about to budge.
The troopers “knew they had to get the Shepherd off the highway, but she did not want to leave the other dog’s side,” the New Jersey State Police said in a statement on its Facebook page. “They eventually were able to get her out of harm’s way and into the back of a troop car.”
Back at the station, the troopers gave the German Shepherd water and played a game of fetch with her. An unidentified local animal rescue shelter has taken her in.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of the other dog, but we’re elated that we were able to rescue the Shepherd,” the statement said. Thank you, troopers!
According to a comment on the New Jersey State Police Facebook page, the German Shepherd was microchipped and has been reunited with her owner.
If it’s true that this devoted dog is back at home, hopefully her owner will ensure she never ends up on a busy highway again. This is not the first and won’t be the last true tale of how amazingly loyal dogs are, in life and death, to their four-legged and two-legged companions.
Photo via New Jersey State Police Facebook page