LINCOLN, Maine — A four-legged passenger helped lead state police to the scene of a rollover crash on a Maine freeway, authorities said.
According to WABI-TV and WMTW-TV, the incident occurred shortly before 5:30 p.m. Sunday near Interstate 95 mile marker 227 in Lincoln. Maine State Police said Trooper Chris Pina was sitting in his cruiser, which was parked in a freeway crossover, when he saw a muddy dog with several scratches dart in front of his vehicle. Pina then put the dog in his cruiser, state police wrote in a Facebook post.
“While notifying dispatch about the dog, he noticed a man on the southbound side of the interstate yelling for help,” the post read. “Tpr. Pina activated his lights and went to investigate.”
Pina found a green Toyota RAV4 on its roof and a maroon SUV that had rolled into a ditch, according to the post. Police said a man had fallen asleep while driving the RAV4 and struck the other vehicle from behind. Officials did not say whether anyone was injured in the crash.
During the collision, two dogs, including the one that approached Pina’s cruiser, were ejected from the maroon SUV, authorities said. The other dog, Bentley the Doberman, initially was nowhere to be found, prompting police to post photos of the missing pup on social media.
On Thursday morning, state troopers shared some good news: Bentley had been found.
“Special thank you to Kathy Winslow of Lost Dog Recovery, who spotted Bentley on a game camera and was able to secure him safely,” state police wrote in an update.
Lincoln police added that the dog has been reunited with his owners.
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