Car rides are usually a fun time for dogs, but for one dog who got stuck in a car grill, the 11-mile ride was anything but fun. Miraculously the dog survived and now she's reunited with her owners.
After taking a terrifying ride while stuck in a car's grill and gaining national attention for the incident, six-year old Suzie the poodle is back home with her owners.
"They were very excited having the dog back," William Muggle, East Providence's animal control supervisor told the Boston Herald. "They saw the dog on TV, that's how they found out about it."
A man driving a Toyota Camry at 50 mph down Route 44 in Taunton, Massachusetts noticed the dog run in front of the car. He immediately slammed on the break to prevent hitting it and continued on his way when he didn't see or feel anything out abnormal.
Eleven miles later in East Providence, R.I, the driver of the car was flagged down as a witness saw a fluffy white creature sticking out of the car's grill in the front of the vehicle.
"The dog was wedged in between the license plate and the grill," Muggle told ABC News. "She was just holding on for dear life. She had paws gripped on the edge of the inside of the bumper."
The dog survived.
She was taken to the animal hospital to be treated but she only suffered from a slight concussion, a missing tooth, and a small tear in her bladder, according to ABC. She didn't break any bones and she was able to stand up on her own.
Muggle doesn't hold the driver accountable for the incident.
"He did everything he could," Muggle told the Boston Herald. "He did the right thing. He tried to avoid hitting the dog and responded to the East Providence police station when he realized what he did. He took the right action."
The dog had no collar or tags and a implanted microchip ID that wasn't registered.
The dog's owners reported their dog missing, but they had no idea that she wound up in Rhode Island until the media reported the incident. The family saw their beloved Suzie on television and contacted the East Providence Animal Control Center.
Now Suzie is safely back home.
"It was the help of the media that got the dog home," Muggle told the Herlad. "That's the reason we reached out. This is a real happy ending."
