Poodle survives 11-mile ride in car grille; now to find the owner

A runaway poodle in Massachusetts will have quite the tale to tell when she’s reunited with her owners: The fluffy white dog was struck by a car and became wedged in the vehicle’s grille -- where it remained for the duration of an 11-mile drive at speeds of up to 50 mph.

The dog survived the ordeal with a few injuries, including a possible concussion and what is being described as a “minor bladder rupture” but is otherwise fine, according to supervisor William Muggle of the East Providence, R.I., Animal Control department.

The dog’s unexpected car ride took her across the border between the two states last month. Muggle has since reached out to the Taunton, Mass., police department in an effort to find the dog’s owner.

“She’s actually doing fine, crazy enough,” Muggle told the Taunton Gazette. “She’s a good dog,” he added.

Muggle said the dog, actually a poodle mix, ran in front of a car in Taunton, Mass., on Sept. 20. The driver hit the brakes to avoid the dog, and then continued driving, unaware that the small dog had actually been struck.

Muggle told the newspaper that it wasn’t until the driver crossed the border into East Providence, R.I., that someone flagged the motorist to the dog stuck in the vehicle’s grille.

The driver proceeded to a local police station, where animal control officials freed the animal and then took it to an emergency clinic, Muggle said.

“We’ve been searching for the owner since,” Muggle told the newspaper.

The dog was wearing a collar, but Muggle said he was withholding additional information about the collar to help identify the animal’s true owner.

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