Heroic dog protects injured dog from oncoming traffic; both are reunited with owner

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The pair of dogs that brought New York’s Major Deegan Expressway to a near-standstill last week have been reunited with their owner. The hubbub began when Chile, a Labrador retriever mix, was hit by a car on the freeway last Thursday. That’s when Husky, a German shepherd mix described in reports as Chile’s son, leapt into action.

Husky hurled himself between Chile and anyone or anything that came near her as she lay injured on the freeway -- including passing cars and even the NYPD officers who stopped to help. Eventually, the officers were able to separate Chile from her anxious son and transport her to a veterinary facility. From New York’s ABC7 News:

The dog was brought to animal care and control in East Harlem, where they gave her pain medication and made her comfortable. Then, a vet looked her over.

‘She was alert,’ Lisa Ortiz said. ‘She picked up her head, she knew she was getting help.’

[Chile] suffered a broken left leg. She wore no ID at the time of the accident, but her owner saw the drama on TV, went to the vet center and whisked her away to an animal hospital.

While Chile was being transported for treatment, Husky took off through traffic, with police hot on his tail as they tried to keep him from repeating his mother’s costly car mistake (and further traffic delays). After about 45 minutes of pursuit, Husky was eventually escorted onto an exit ramp by police and wandered back home.

Chile has undergone surgery and is expected to recover.

-- Lindsay Barnett

Video: Associated Press