April 3, 2008

SALT LAKE CITY –- Rush hour drivers watched a shocking scene last Wednesday when a dog was thrown off an overpass onto Utah’s I-15. But like the lucky number, Seven is a lucky dog.

“She’s doing really well for what happened,” said Hayley Savage, Seven’s owner.

Savage was at work when she learned her one-year old boxer had just survived being thrown onto the Utah freeway during the afternoon rush hour.

“I started bawling, of course, I didn’t understand, I couldn’t comprehend that somebody could actually do something like that,” said Savage.

911 dispatchers were also surprised by witness’ reports, which began coming in from around 4:30 p.m.

According to police reports, someone in a red Ford truck with a rack on it was identified by passers-by as the culprit.

Good Samaritans who saw the dog’s fall risked their own lives to get Seven safely out of traffic.

“I just saw her and I didn’t want her to get hit,” said Troy Williams, who ran into traffic to get the dog to safety. “I was surprised she didn’t break her legs or something from going that far.”

Seven fell 24 feet before hitting the ground nearly head first. The dazed boxer landed facing oncoming traffic.

“We were just driving along, all of a sudden, as it goes, (we came to) stopped traffic,” said Monique, another good Samaritan who declined giving her last name. “(We) were wondering why, and here comes Seven running down the freeway.”

The two strangers worked together to safely retrieve the dog, then Monique drove her to the Cottonwood Animal Hospital.

“I was just thrilled to see that the dog was so excited to see her, the whole trauma seemed like nothing once the dog saw Hayley,” said the female good Samaritan.

A checkup revealed that Seven’s jaw took the brunt of the impact. She also had blood in her lungs.

“We had to extract about five teeth on her and then we had to put an external skeletal fixetar on that to stabilize the jaw,” Dr. Nathan Cox of the Cottonwood Animal Hospital.

Seven will be back to normal in about six weeks, but in the meantime five screws will hold the fixetar in place, and she will wear a cone between meals.

Seven will be on a strict, hand-fed only diet for about four weeks to let her jaw properly heal.

She went home on Friday after racking up a hefty medical bill that now has been paid in full by community supporters.

“It means a lot (to me),” said Savage who was overwhelmed by the generosity and relieved that taking out a private loan was avoided.

Unfortunately the vehicle description alone isn’t enough for Utah Highway Patrol to launch a criminal investigation.

But there was one clue. Shredded beef found in Seven’s stomach makes Savage believe her dog was targeted and lured out of her backyard.

The Humane Society of Utah and the Animal Advocacy Alliance are jointly offering an $8,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

The perpetrator could be charged with a Class B misdemeanor of cruelty to an animal.

Tips on this case can be reported to the Humane Society of Utah’s Cruelty Investigation Department at 801-261-2919, ext. 210.

For Savage, the experience highlights the dichotomy of people.

“It just goes to show the two kinds of people in the world,” said Savage. “Someone who is willing to risk their lives to saves another creature or someone who wants to hurt them maliciously.”

Tell us what you think about “Lucky ‘Seven’ Survives Throw onto Hwy.” below, and be sure to watch the video of this story at the top right of your page. Share your favorite videos by clicking on the ZootooTV tab. Send us your story ideas by e-mailing us at news@zootoo.com or by calling us at 877-777-4204.

Robin Wallace, Pet Pulse, KSL.com, The Salt Lake Tribune and KUTV.com contributed to this article.