DANIA BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — A South Florida driver found quite the surprise after he noticed a dog was stuck in the engine of his car and had managed to survive a wild ride.
It will be a 4th of July to remember for a dog who earned the title “Road Dog” in Dania Beach on Thursday. “They realized the engine wasn’t purring. In fact, it was actually running a little rough,” said Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Mike Jachles, embracing some puns.
The dog was found trapped underneath the hood of a couple’s car along Southeast Fifth Street and Second Avenue.
“The worst part is kinda around her vulva.” Tiffany Sheldon, a veterinarian from Hollywood Animal Hospital said. “Its very swollen. So for her to sit down is kinda painful for her and to urinate as well.”
BSO’s Technical Rescue Team was called out for the rescue and extricated the little guy from between the steering mechanism and one of the axles. “It was like the Indy 500 pit crew out there,” said Jachles. “They had the wheel off the PT Cruiser. They were working gingerly to rescue the dog that was trapped up in there.”
BSO said the couple stopped the car after realizing they had company. They said the couple started their drive in Hallandale Beach. “They came from Hallandale Beach to Dania Beach, so that’s three cities if you count Hollywood in the middle. You gotta go through Hollywood to get to Dania Beach so it could have been anywhere from a 4, 5, 10-mile trip,” said Jachles.
In less than two minutes, rescuers were able to get the dog out. He was carried away by firefighters to get checked out and given some water after working up quite a sweat in the South Florida heat.
Rescuers say he looked just fine. “It appeared outwardly that there were no injuries. This was one lucky dog who actually had more like nine lives,” said Jachles.
“The dog, now named Independent, will be moved to a rescue group. Once she is fully recovered, Animal Control will try and find a new home for the puppy. “We are going to find a rescue group for Independent,” Lisa Mendheim, of the Broward County Animal Control said. “So that she can go to a rescue organization that we partner with and they will rehabilitate her until she’s ready for adoption.”
To make a donation to help in this puppy’s recovery, contact:
Independence Donations
Hollywood Animal Hospital
954-920-3556
(Copyright 2013 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)