Dog News

Tiny Dog Helps Rescue an Escaped Dog Running Through Traffic

by Melanie

Life With Dogs is reader-supported. We may earn a small commission through products purchased using links on this page.
Photo by Cindy Butler Focke | The Virginian-Pilot
Photo by Cindy Butler Focke | The Virginian-Pilot

 

————————————————————————————————————————————

 

A bichon frise on a car ride helped save a dog that had gotten loose and was running in traffic.  Bella’s mom was calling to her while trying to alert other drivers, but it wasn’t until little Snowflake got her attention that she stopped long enough to be caught and saved from being hit by a car.

Krista Dietz, Snowflake’s caregiver, was driving on a busy street in Virginia Beach on December 28th when she saw a large white van coming the wrong way down the lane.

“I saw this lady honking the horn like crazy,” Dietz told The Virginian-Pilot.  “It confused everyone because she was going the wrong way.  I realized she was in dire straits.”

The woman, clearly in distress, had two young children screaming in the backseat.  Their something-or-other-doodle, Bella, had gotten out and was running down the road near Interstate 264.  The woman “zig-zagged to block off the ramp,” and was calling Bella’s name.

Dietz pulled over, turned on her flashers, and got out to help alert other drivers to what the situation was so they wouldn’t hit Bella.  Alone inside the car, Snowflake began barking.

“I think she felt my pain, and the other person’s panic,” Dietz said.

The window was rolled down a bit, and Bella heard Snowflake.  She turned around and began trotting in Snowflake’s direction.  The woman was able to catch Bella and get her back into the van.

“We were both crying and I gave her a big hug,” Dietz explained.

“You saved my dog!” the woman told her.

“No I didn’t,” Dietz replied. “It was Snowflake.”

Though the ordeal lasted only a few minutes, the exhilaration of it all left Dietz shaking for an hour.  She didn’t have time to get Bella’s mom’s name, but has been trying to find her on Facebook to see how Bella is doing.  No luck so far.

Snowflake belongs to Mary Lou Dixon, who says that contrary to her actions that day, “doesn’t bark a lot,” and is “a sweet little dog; friendly to everybody.”