Dogs
Frightened dog escapes car after collision – then over a dozen cars stop traffic to rescue him
Over a dozen people stopped traffic on a Houston highway to rescue a dog that had escaped from a car and was sprinting in and out of traffic.
Jessica
11.21.19

After over 365,000 views in less than a week, it’s safe to say the video Houston’s Toby Tinelli uploaded to Twitter on November 10, 2019 is a viral sensation. And as most popular videos do, this one involves a feel-good animal story.

But it didn’t start out so heartwarming. Moments earlier, there had been an accident on Houston’s Beltway 8. After the crash, a dog that was in the car jumped out and sprinted down the highway, darting in and out of traffic.

Screencap via @TobyTinelli/Twitter
Source:
Screencap via @TobyTinelli/Twitter

While it made headlines for the amount of help offered to the dog, you might be interested to know the humans in the vehicle seem to be ok too.

When drivers saw the dog running down the highway, many of them stopped their cars to avoid hitting him. A handful even got out to try and corral the pup.

Screencap via @TobyTinelli/Twitter
Source:
Screencap via @TobyTinelli/Twitter

Toby Tinelli pulled over and got out of his car and tried to get the dog to come to him to no avail. He recorded the escapade on his phone.

“So everybody was on the same page. It seemed like it was really like a team-oriented thing because everybody at the same time slowed down and put flashers on and the first thing everyone cared about was taking care of that dog,” he said.

Screencap via @TobyTinelli/Twitter
Source:
Screencap via @TobyTinelli/Twitter

Good samaritans basically shut down the freeway to avoid disaster. But the dog wasn’t easy to catch. In fact, he had sprinted a half-mile away from the site of the crash with all his might.

“We tried to call him and you see the video of me trying to get him over, and he didn’t have any interest. I’m sure he was terrified,” Tinelli said.

Both Tinelli and another man in a suit were unable to get the dog to come to them as he ran back in the opposite direction where trucks tried to block his path.

Screencap via @TobyTinelli/Twitter
Source:
Screencap via @TobyTinelli/Twitter

But eventually, someone got ahold of his leash and held tight until his owner came along.

Once the dog was caught, he seemed fairly calm considering what he had just been through.

Screencap via @TobyTinelli/Twitter
Source:
Screencap via @TobyTinelli/Twitter

“We brought some water out. My wife had water and a bowl, and we got the dog some water and cooled it down a little bit and it was a big relief,” Tinelli told WMTW.

Screencap via @TobyTinelli/Twitter
Source:
Screencap via @TobyTinelli/Twitter

The owner – who had just been in a wreck – was also sprinting down that same stretch of highway to save his pet.

Someone caught a picture of the poor guy running towards him for a reunion.

Screencap via @TobyTinelli/Twitter
Source:
Screencap via @TobyTinelli/Twitter

The dog was startled and out of breath and witnesses noticed he had bloody feet, which they assume were from running through broken glass.

@TobyTinelli/Twitter
Source:
@TobyTinelli/Twitter

Tinelli Tweeted:

“The best part was seeing them hug when he finally got him back.”

The bystander told the Houston Chronicle that it felt good to be a part of the effort:

“It was one of the coolest acts of kindness I have ever seen live from a bunch of random people coming together.”

We’re just glad there was a happy ending for human and canine alike.

Be sure to scroll down below to see the video of the pup’s dramatic rescue.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

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