By Ben Deci
The name Freeway comes from where the stray dog was living- at I-5 and Fruitridge Road in Sacramento. Houdini comes from the fact that she somehow survived 42 days of dodging cars.
“How she didn’t get hit by a car, I don’t know. There were multiple calls where she was actually on the off-ramp,” said Knepp.
In all that time, no one was able to capture the Aussie mix. But several people were able to snap pictures of her. Over time, Freeway became somewhat famous.
“People were coming in and talking about feeding the dog every night. People were just concerned,” said Pauly Harris, a bartender at Swiss Buda, where the conversation would frequently turn to brining Freeway in safely.
“We’d wonder how we could get a hold of this dog without hurting anything” said Harris. “The dog was smart.”
Sacramento City Animal Control Officers were on the case too. At one point there were even able to tranquilize Freeway. But…
“…off she went, through a hole back to where she was hiding in the bushes. She slept it off and started all over again,” said Knepp.
In the end, it was a concerned Sacramentan who was able to get a leash on Freeway. She was collared 2 miles away from where she’d been living.
Freeway is at the Sacramento City Animal Shelter now, and so far she’s a sweetheart-calm and friendly. Not necessarily the disposition you’d expect from a dog who knows what it’s like to live, literally, on the road.
Meet Freeway the dog.
“There are people who call him Freeway,” explained Gina Knepp, representative for the City of Sacramento’s animal shelter. “But I want to call her Houdini.”
The name Freeway comes from where the stray dog was living- at I-5 and Fruitridge Road in Sacramento. Houdini comes from the fact that she somehow survived 42 days of dodging cars.
“How she didn’t get hit by a car, I don’t know. There were multiple calls where she was actually on the off-ramp,” said Knepp.
In all that time, no one was able to capture the Aussie mix. But several people were able to snap pictures of her. Over time, Freeway became somewhat famous.
“People were coming in and talking about feeding the dog every night. People were just concerned,” said Pauly Harris, a bartender at Swiss Buda, where the conversation would frequently turn to brining Freeway in safely.
“We’d wonder how we could get a hold of this dog without hurting anything” said Harris. “The dog was smart.”
Sacramento City Animal Control Officers were on the case too. At one point there were even able to tranquilize Freeway. But…
“…off she went, through a hole back to where she was hiding in the bushes. She slept it off and started all over again,” said Knepp.
In the end, it was a concerned Sacramentan who was able to get a leash on Freeway. She was collared 2 miles away from where she’d been living.
Freeway is at the Sacramento City Animal Shelter now, and so far she’s a sweetheart-calm and friendly. Not necessarily the disposition you’d expect from a dog who knows what it’s like to live, literally, on the road.
The animal shelter will hold onto freeway for awhile, to make certain there is no owner who wants to claim her. After that, she will be put up for adoption.
