Rudolph Gets Rescued

Just in time for a safe Christmas, this little red pit bull is saved from the 10 Freeway

Rudolph, after he was rescued

Southern California is known for its traffic and crowded freeways, so imagine the danger for dogs that find their way onto these busy thoroughfares.

It’s reported that one dog lived on the center divider of the 10 Freeway in Baldwin Park, Calif., and knew the lay of the land, but apparently was not aware of the dangers of living next to cars speeding by. We’re talking about a 2-year-old pit bull mix who County of Los Angeles of Animal Care and Control officers safely rescued from the median area on the 10 Freeway, just east of the 605 freeway, Dec. 21. Staff named him Rudolph in light of the holiday season. Rudolph is being cared for at the Baldwin Park Animal Care Center and will be made available for adoption in about a week.

“Our animal control officers worked alongside the CHP and had just a few minutes to assess and rescue Rudolph,” said Marcia Mayeda, director for the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control. “The CHP skillfully conducted a traffic break on the 10 Freeway so our officers could work, and it all just came together perfectly. According to our field officers, traffic was only stopped for a few minutes and Rudolph was safely en-route to our animal care center before the song playing on the car radio finished,” Mayeda explained.

County animal control officials received a request for assistance from the CHP, who stated this dog was jumping the center divider and running in traffic last weekend. CHP officers out of the Baldwin Park station, knowing the general vicinity of where the dog stayed, spotted him again Wednesday morning. The 1 p.m. rescue operation began with a briefing in a nearby parking lot and it was underway. “Our officers are trained ropers and generally have a high success rate at quickly and safely capturing stray dogs,” said Mayeda. “This is one lucky dog.”

Rudolph appears to have a friendly disposition, which they say is an indicator that he had not been running the streets, or freeways in this case, for a long time. He will be assessed by animal care center staff and kept comfortable at the center throughout the holidays. The Baldwin Park Animal Care Center is located at 4275 Elton St. in Baldwin Park. Anyone interested in meeting Rudolph should contact Lt. Maria Rosales at (626) 430-2366.