After Saving Life of Freeway Frida, Police Officer Adopts Her

Back in April, a German Shepherd fell off a pickup truck and onto busy Highway 99 in Northern California. For over a month afterward, drivers spotting the injured dog near the highway’s center median would call 911, but she would run away whenever anyone tried to save her.

The phone calls stopped in early May.

“I thought something happened — she, you know, died,” Galt Police Officer Silvia Coelho told KCRA.

Then, early in the morning on May 14, a 911 caller reported seeing the dog alive in the median.

“We are getting her today, that’s it,” Coelho told KCRA. “It’s Saturday morning (and) traffic is light. We are getting this dog.”

The California Highway Patrol shut down Highway 99 while Coelho and some other police officers approached the scared dog, who had been nicknamed “Freeway Frida.”

At first Frida resisted, but she quickly surrendered.

“She just laid down and looked at us with those big, brown eyes, and was like, ‘Oh thank you,’ and like, ‘Please help me,’” Coelho told KCRA.

They brought Frida to VCA Bradshaw Animal Hospital in Elk Grove, where she was treated for a broken leg and severe dehydration. While the average weight for a healthy German Shepherd about 65 pounds, Frida weighed only 44 pounds.

After a month of rehabilitation, Frida left the hospital yesterday with her new dog mom — Officer Coelho.

“When we first found her, we were hoping we’d find the owner,” Coelho told FOX40. But no one ever claimed Frida, who did not have a microchip or ID tag.

“As the days went by, I kept coming [to the hospital] to see how she was doing,” Coelho said. “Every time she would see me, she would get all excited. I didn’t want to get emotionally attached, but it’s something you can’t help. She just won my heart over.”

As you can see from this video of their reunion, both Frida and Coelho were delighted to be reunited yesterday. “Can’t tell which one is happier!” said the Galt Police Department on its Facebook page.

Photo via Facebook

Pit Bull Service Dog Dies While Saving Owner from Alligator Attack

Robert Lineburger is alive today thanks to his seizure-detection dog, a Pit Bull named Precious.

But it wasn’t her detection of a seizure that saved Lineburger.

Two months ago, as Lineburger and Precious were walking to a restroom at the Port LaBelle Marina in Florida, where they live on a boat, an alligator suddenly lunged out of the water and onto the dock.

Because there are no lights around the marina, Lineburger didn’t see the alligator until it was too late.

Precious “jumped in front of me,” Lineburger told WPTV. “She was roughly 2 to 3 feet away from me when the gator attacked.”

The alligator killed Precious, but Lineburger was unharmed. His hero dog would be alive today if the marina had proper lighting, Lineburger said.

“We have no lighting, which is mandatory code enforcement,” he told WPTV. “Fire extinguishers are mandated by the fire marshal, we have cluttered docks, and at night with no light, you can’t see the clutter. You trip over them, and now you put the alligator problem on top of it, it’s a place for a disaster to happen.”

A neighbor told WPTV he’s seen alligators all around the marina, and has no doubt they’ve been on the dock.

Lineburger wants Glades County code compliance officers to inspect the marina. Nothing will bring back Precious, but Lineburger hopes the tragedy will help others be safe.

“I do not want her death to be in vain,” he told WPTV. “At least let it accomplish something and get some of these violations taken care of.”

Photo via Twitter

NFL’s Ronnie Stanley Asks for ‘Not-So-Adoptable Dog’ from Shelter

With so many cases of NFL players abusing dogs, Ronnie Stanley of the Baltimore Ravens is truly a breath of fresh air.

Stanley went to the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) Saturday with his girlfriend and teammate, Alex Lewis, in search of a new four-legged friend.

He had just one request. “We are looking for a dog that’s been here a long time and maybe not-so-adoptable,” he told the staff, according to the BARCS Facebook page.

When Stanley was introduced to some of the dogs having difficulty finding forever homes, one in particular caught his eye: Winter, a 6-year-old Pit Bull/Retriever mix who’d been used multiple times for breeding, and then was left to die in a vacant house with no food or water. She had chewed through the drywall in an effort to escape. A good Samaritan noticed her last month and contacted BARCS.

Because she’s had several litters of puppies, Winter has a drooping belly that isn’t likely to tighten up. Dogs with distended bellies like hers are particularly hard to adopt out, Bailey Deacon of BARCS told the Baltimore Sun.

That didn’t matter to Stanley. “Well, that’s just what happens when you’ve had babies,” he told the BARCS staff, who said he showed much more interest in getting kisses from the pooch than any concerns about her physical appearance.

“It’s not a very good-looking dog per se for your happy couple or family going into a shelter looking to adopt a pet. So I knew this pet would probably have a pretty hard time getting adopted,” Stanley told the Baltimore Sun today. “It was pretty old as well, so I felt like it was a great pet for me. It’s very loving and very protective, and it’s a great addition to the family.”

He adopted Winter, and has renamed her Lola.

“We are so proud to have amazing guys like Ronnie to be role models to the kids in our city,” BARCS said on its Facebook page. “Not only does his single act of kindness make adoption cool, but it makes giving love to an imperfectly perfect dog a ‘manly’ thing to do.”

Photo via Facebook

UPS Driver Rescues Puppy Dumped on Road

In a cloud of dust, a 3-month-old Cairn Terrier frantically chased after an old blue pickup truck whose driver dumped him on a Northern California road.

“I’m rolling up and I see it pull away in the dirt, going pretty fast, and the little dog is chasing it down the yellow line,” Jason Harcrow, who’s been a United Parcel Service (UPS) driver for 16 years, told the Modesto Bee.

As Harcrow pulled over to the side of the road, the puppy, startled by an oncoming car, darted under his UPS truck.

It took a while for Harcrow to coax the pup out from under the truck.

“I tried to grab him and he was kind of playing with me,” he told the Bee. “I didn’t want to get down on all fours, so I was just kind of swiping for him. I was getting a little frustrated.”

He was finally able to grab the puppy and put him in his truck. He called Stanislaus County Animal Services and was told an animal control officer would come and take the pup, but Harcrow had deliveries to make.

So he brought the abandoned puppy along with him on his route. “He’s an awesome little pup,” Harcrow, who has a dog and cat, told the Bee.

Harcrow dropped his furry passenger off at a police substation. An animal control officer later took the pup to the Stanislaus County Animal Services shelter.

‘He’s Very Playful, Very Cute’

Not surprisingly, the puppy had no ID tag or microchip. In the highly probable case that his owner doesn’t show up to claim him, the pup will be available for a new forever home — emphasis on forever — Tuesday, June 21.

“He’s very playful, very cute,” Annette Patton, executive director of Stanislaus County Animal Services, told KCRA. The shelter has been flooded with calls about adopting the puppy, who they named “Biscuit.” Patton is certain Biscuit will find a loving home soon.

Jessica Lafferty, supervisor at the local UPS hub, told the Modesto Bee the company is very proud of Harcrow.

“He’s a very good guy,” she said. I couldn’t agree more.

Photos via Facebook

R.I.P. Christina Grimmie, ‘The Voice’ Finalist and Hero to Animals

Christina Grimmie, the 22-year-old former finalist on “The Voice” who was murdered by a psychotic fan last night, wasn’t only passionate about singing. She also had a passion — and compassion — for animals.

At the time of her senseless death, Grimmie was participating in a Charity Champions League fundraiser to raise money for her favorite nonprofit, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

“My adopted dog Chloe is my best friend, and I’m competing in Charity Champions League on her behalf,” Grimmie said on her team page for the fundraiser. “It’s our responsibility to make sure that animals everywhere are protected and treated well, so let’s all come together for HSUS!”

Described as a “one-of-a-kind ‘giving competition’ designed to give everyone the chance to support some of the nation’s most effective nonprofit organizations—for free,” each nonprofit represented in the Charity Champions League fundraiser, which ends June 15, is guaranteed at least $5,000. The nonprofit represented by the team with the most points — earned from visiting the website, sharing it on social media, etc. — will receive an additional $250,000.

Thousands of fans appear to be paying tribute to Grimmie by joining her team. As of this morning, it had accrued over 1 million points — more than twice as many as the other teams.

“The entire universe at The Humane Society of the United States is grieving today with the family of the beloved Christina Grimmie,” its president, Wayne Pacelle, said in a statement today.

“She didn’t just possess a beautiful voice – she was a beautiful soul who used her talents to spread a message that we humans should not mete out violence to animals. We will carry her message forward, despite the pain we feel.”

At the Humane Society Gala in New York City last November, Grimmie performed “I Need a Hero” on behalf of homeless and mistreated animals. You can honor her legacy by joining Grimmie’s Charity Champions League Team, or by supporting the HSUS or animal charity of your choice — and, I strongly suggest, by supporting laws that make it easier for people with mental issues to get help, not guns.

Photo via Twitter

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