Freeway Frida is the nickname that she was given by the media, but Galt Police Department staff nicknamed her Agent 99. She is a 5-6-year-old German Shepherd, who was trapped on the Highway 99 median in Galt, California, close to Simmerhorn Road. She was rescued on May 14, 2016, but the first call about Frida came into the dispatch center in Galt on April 10, 2016. The caller started they witnessed a dog either jumping out of or falling out of the back of a truck.
Freeway Frida Survives 5 Weeks on Median
Freeway Frida Rescued From Highway Median https://t.co/CNnPSVthvu #FreewayFrida #dogsoftwitter #GermanShepherd pic.twitter.com/IDwJjyfhw3
— YMB News (@YMBNews) May 20, 2016
Since April 10, numerous phone calls were made to the dispatch center from concerned citizens who spotted the dog on the Highway 99 median. However, each time an officer was dispatched to the area, Frida would elude capture by hiding in the thick oleander bushes along the median. She was finally rescued on May 14 by Galt police officers Sylvia Coelho and Christina Hill. Coelho told KTLA 5 News, “With the help and assistance of California Highway Patrol, who were awesome to assist us, we were able to catch her finally after almost five weeks of being in the median. Once CHP was able to get the snare on her, she fought a little bit, but then she subsided and just laid down.”
The rescued dog is being cared for at the VCA Bradshaw Animal Hospital in Elk Grove, California. Doctor Mike Johnson, the medical director at the animal hospital, said that Frida is eating very well and has gained back much of the weight she lost during her ordeal.
Dr. Johnson states that Frida has undergone surgery for a broken leg she sustained during her 5-week ordeal. She will need to undergo several more surgeries as well as several months of intense rehab afterward.
There has been a donation fund established for Frida by the Greater California German Shepherd Rescue, to help with her recovery expenses. The Greater California German Shepherd Rescue was established in 2007 and is a non-profit that has a staff completely of volunteers.
As of today’s date, Freeway Frida’s owners have not been located, but Galt police continue to keep trying.
