Dog saved after freeway accident

Acorn Staff Writer


Lolly: A survivor

Lolly: A survivor

Some people see the holidays as a time to purchase or adopt a new pet; Corey McCroskey of Carpinteria is just happy that the one he has is alive and well.


Earlier this month McCroskey and his little dog Lolly were involved in a traffic accident on the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills. McCroskey fell asleep at the wheel and flipped his car at the Kanan Road interchange. In the aftermath, Lolly squeezed out of a broken window and ran away.


While McCroskey, 34, was being airlifted to UCLA for treatment of his injuries, Lolly escaped the grasp of highway patrol rescuers and began wondering the freeway.


"The dog had traveled quite a way without managing to get hit," said Gail Miley, director of the Agoura Animal Shelter.


Two days later, a Thousand Oaks lady managed to corral the dog near Hampshire Road in Thousand Oaks. The lady had seen posters for the missing dog and called McCroskey at home.


"[Lolly] was less than 200 yards from where they had towed the car and put it, so either she was going to the car or trying to head home," McCroskey said.


Lolly, a 7- or 8-year-old female Queensland cattle dog, was tired and sore when she arrived at the Agoura shelter, but not seriously injured. McCroskey suffered lacerations and contusions, but said he’s recovering


Although Lolly’s collar had fallen off, Agoura shelter personnel were able to identify her because she’d been fitted with a microchip under her fur. Employees scanned the chip and learned the address and phone number of her owner.


"We were very grateful that we were able to get the dog back and that he, as a good owner, had done the things he needed to do to make sure were able to do our job," Miley said.


McCroskey adopted Lolly three weeks ago from an animal shelter in Santa Barbara.


Microchips are planted on dogs using a syringe, often while the animal is sedated during spaying or neutering. Los Angeles County plans to begin a program early next year in which more shelter dogs will be fitted with the microchip.


Miley said it’s important that dogs still wear their collars, however.


"I think having a visible ID is more important because that makes things a lot faster in getting an animal back, and people are more likely to stop and rescue an animal if they see it running down the road if they see some visible ID on it," Miley said.


"It was a happy ending. It was something where the owner had done the right thing by having a ID on the dog," Miley said.




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