Pit Bull Mix Found Injured Along Highway 101 In Petaluma

PETALUMA - Petaluma Animal Services Foundation officials are looking for the owner of a female pit bull mix dog that was found injured on the side of U.S. Highway 101 Tuesday afternoon.

It's possible the dog might have been thrown or jumped from a moving vehicle on the highway, Petaluma Animal Services Foundation executive director Jeff Charter said.

She was found in bushes by two passers-by around 4:30 p.m. on the side of the highway between the East Washington Street off-ramp and the state Highway 116 on-ramp in Petaluma.

The dog has a broken leg and broken pelvis and a fractured mandibular canine tooth.

She is being treated at Brandner Veterinary Hospital in Petaluma.

"Her injuries look to be 24 hours old," Charter said Wednesday morning. "She's borderline emaciated but is expected to survive."

The dog did not have a collar or microchip identification, Charter said.

Here's the post on the Animal Services Foundation's Facebook site:

Brand new photos of our sweet freeway girl! She'svery hungry. She's got broken bones, teeth, and road rash, but her tail won't top waggin. All she wanted to do was go cage to cage to meet the other animals in the hospital ward. Dogs are amazing! She needs a ton of care right now, and we're going to make sure she gets everything she needs, and then some. If you would like to donate to help us cover the cost of this, please press donate now, via our website, www.petalumaanimalshelter.org. ~ Thank you for your support. It means the world to us. ‪#‎PetalumaAnimalShelter‬‪#‎ArmyOfKindness‬ ‪#‎Community‬

One man who posted a comment on the foundation's Facebook page said he saw the injured dog get hit by the rear axle of a big-rig as it ran toward the center divider of the highway.

It's possible the dog escaped from a yard from one of the homes along that section of the highway, Charter said.

Petaluma Animal Services Foundation officials hope to find the dog's owner, whether the incident turns out to be animal cruelty or neglect or an escaped canine.

Anyone with information is asked to call the foundation at (707) 778-7387.

-Bay City News, images via Petaluma Animal Services Foundation