‘Parkway Dog’ waiting for owners after highway rescue

The pit bull rescued from the Garden State Parkway on Jan. 25 by a State Police trooper is at the West Orange Adoptable Dogs & Cats Shelter, which is giving its owners time to come forward before putting the dog up for adoption.

A trooper wrangled the dog that had been running through the southbound lanes near Exit 144 about 6 p.m. last Saturday.

Dash cam footage released by State Police shows the white pit bull crossing several lanes as it is followed by a troop car. Troopers used their vehicle to slow down traffic and move the dog over to the shoulder. They then coaxed it into the back seat.

The dog was not injured, but had no identification tags and was taken to an animal control officer.

State Police Sgt. Lawrence Peele said it's not known how the dog got on the Parkway but said that it is not unusual because the highway crosses through a densely populated area in Essex County.

"Although dog catching is not a part of our academy training, our troopers did a phenomenal job making sure this young pup was not harmed—because it seemed like she was having a good ‘ole time playing tag," State Police wrote on their Facebook page.

As of Saturday no one had shown up to claim the dog, who is being called "Parkway Dog" or "PK" for short. The owners would have to provide proof of ownership.

Mike Burton of the East Orange Animal Control told News 12 New Jersey that PK is a "sweet" lapdog but a little shy at first.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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