Loose dog shuts down traffic on busy Phoenix freeway

PHOENIX – A dog on the loose shut down traffic on a busy Phoenix freeway Thursday afternoon.

The Arizona Department of Transportation first spotted the critter on southbound Interstate 17 near Seventh Avenue around 2:40 p.m.

I-17 SB: A loose dog is running on the freeway near 7th Avenue. #phxtraffic pic.twitter.com/xqq9Z0RLyx

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) December 27, 2018

Within 10 minutes, Arizona Department Public Safety troopers closed down I-17 at 19th Avenue while they tried to corral the pooch.

The medium-sized boxer proved to be quite elusive despite troopers’ efforts to safely remove it from the road while traffic backed up.

But their persistence paid off, as they were able to remove the dog and reopen the freeway a little before 3 p.m.

UPDATE: Dog has been removed from I-17 SB between 19th and 7th Avenues. #phxtraffic https://t.co/scKoGiTBWq

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) December 27, 2018

A DPS spokesman said the dog was herded off the highway at the Seventh Avenue exit ramp and was last seen walking into a nearby neighborhood.

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