Drivers on a busy Detroit-area highway had to slow down on Wednesday morning after a German Shepherd became loose and ran onto the motorway.
Good Samaritan Debbie Allen sprung into action, ensuring the animal wasn't struck by a vehicle, after she noticed the dog trapped and visibly shaken. She huddled against the center divider attempting to shield the German Shepherd from oncoming traffic.
She says she was on her way to meet a client for work, but the day had other plans for her.
"I saw a dog in the middle of the road, and it was obviously limping so I knew it had been hit," she said.
Allen, a pet owner herself, says she pulled over and traffic came to a standstill when the dog ran uphill. She wanted to be sure that the German Shepherd would stay safe so she turned around to get it, but the dog became scared and returned to the busy roadway.
As she followed the dog, she went back to her car and tried to stop traffic as a safety precaution. Another driver waited with the dog as she returned. Michigan State Police then arrived to help.
"I sat with the dog and told him he was safe, and I had him look at me because he was looking for an escape route and I said no, no, look at me, you're safe," she said.
Allen says the German Shepherd appeared well-fed, well-groomed, and was very well-behaved. He was scared and she theorized that the dog became lost from his home.
The Humane Society arrived on scene and was able to take the dog safely away. The dog was reportedly not micro-chipped and was transported to a local Michigan Humane Society location. Rescuers were reportedly searching for the owner to reunite the dog.
"I am not a hero, just a human being," Allen said.
This story was originally published by Scripps News Detroit.
