Owner reunited with motorway rescue dog
A dog owner is said to be ‘thrilled’ after being reunited with her border collie which was rescued last week from the M58 by Highways England traffic officers.
Highways England issued an appeal to trace the owner last Thursday (12 November) after Traffic officers Rob Lawless and James Critchley – who are based at the Rob Lane outstation at Newton-le-Willows – rescued the dog from the westbound carriageway of the motorway near Ormskirk.
When they arrived, they found the male border collie in the hard shoulder and managed to get the dog into their 4 wheel drive traffic officer vehicle. There was no sign of an owner nearby so James and Rob arranged for the dog to be taken to Leigh Dogs and Cats Home so it could be scanned for an owner chip. Unfortunately, it was quickly established the chip was an old one and the home was unable to contact the owner. Highways England then issued an appeal for the owner to contact the home so they could be re-united with the collie.
The lady owner was alerted to her pet’s whereabouts thanks to the appeal and collected the dog from the home on Friday. The microchip has now been updated. Leigh Dogs and Cats home said the lady , who lives near the motorway but did not want to be identified, was ‘thrilled’ to get her dog back.
Highways England outstation team manager Jane Howard said:
The safety of road users is our priority but we are delighted that our work last week in managing this incident and getting the collie safely off the motorway and to a dog’s home has resulted in him being reunited with his owner.
We do try to deal with incidents involving pets sensitively and humanely and Rob and James did a brilliant job last week.
General enquiries
Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
Media enquiries
Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.