Police Officers Rescue Dog Trapped On Highway Ledge 32-Feet Above Busy Traffic

Police officers help rescue a dog trapped on a highway ledge 32-feet above busy traffic in Wichita, Kansas. The event unfolded on the Fourth of July, Today reports. A 6-month-old puppy was stranded above U.S. Highway 54 when two police officers below involved in a traffic assignment noticed him.

Wichita public information officer, Daniel East, says another pair of officers helped the first two in rescuing the dog on the overpass. One man stood on the ledge while another held onto the dog’s collar as the other two held onto both policemen to keep them from falling over the ledge.

The Witchita Eagle reports that the dog had nowhere to go and that fireworks might have played a role because Sgt. Jim Merrick tells them that the 46-pound dog was likely spooked by so many being shot off around his home near Kellogg and Maize Road. Merrick says:

“Nobody knows how that happened. This dog had nowhere to go. People go 70, 80 on Kellogg all the time, and it was about a 32-foot drop down. The dog was stuck.”

An officer put his hand out for the German Shepherd — Harley — to sniff. All of the officers who took part in the dog rescue were with Wichita’s Patrol West. Merrick says things “got exciting” when the dog suddenly darted down Kellogg until a bunch of police cars were able to contain him.

According to the report, the first officer wanted to take Harley home overnight. A Facebook photo that the department posted of the dog rescue Friday night went viral by the next morning. Merrick shares that it’s the most popular post the department has ever seen. Over 8,600 likes, 2,100 shares, and 522 comments were made by 10:30 pm Saturday. Thanks to the post, Harley’s owner was able to find him. His owner informed police that their neighbors had a large Fourth of July gathering and shot off a lot of fireworks, which scared Harley enough that he jumped the fence.

“This was a very sweet dog. People who are shooting fireworks need to be aware that it affects not just them.”

Harley is back at home now happy and secure. The Wichita police officers did a great job in the rescue of this dog that could have easily died had he fallen off the highway ledge.

Merrick concludes:

“In short, man’s best friend needed some friends, and he found them in the Wichita Police Department.”

[Image via Wichita Police Dept. Facebook]