During the height of rush hour this morning, drivers were shocked to see a black lab running in and out of traffic on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
The dog was first spotted at about 7 a.m. near the Good Luck Road overpass, where U.S. Park Police almost snagged it, authorities said, but it darted away. Almost 25 minutes later, the dog was still on the loose, and at one point it crossed the median into southbound traffic, and moments later it was struck by an oncoming car.
“We’re looking for the dog because the dog is potentially injured so we want to make sure his medical needs are taken care of,” said U.S. Park Police Sgt. David Schlosser. “But also we want to make sure the dog is returned to its family because I’m sure they miss him.”
The dog scampered off clearly injured, but authorities said that was the last sight of it.
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Prince George’s County's Animal Management Division also is on the case and believes the dog is still on the loose or possibly scared and hiding.
“We’re just hoping that an owner will go out and see their dog is missing and give us a call because if we can get the owner to the scene, they probably can bring their dog's favorite toy or something that he can smell and bring him back home,” said Prince George’s County Animal Management Division Chief Rodney Taylor.
Authorities said at this point they have not received any calls in the Greenbelt area of a missing dog. And as the rush home began, authorities feared a repeat of this morning's traffic-disrupting scene, which was dangerous not just for the dog, but also the drivers on the road.
“It’s a traffic nightmare whenever you have a dog running like that, running through traffic,” Taylor said. “Someone could stop, try to avoid the dog and hit another car, so it’s a dangerous situation. That’s why we always encourage owners to never just let your dog roam free.”
