Dog rescued on Arizona freeway, reunited with owner

David Ulloa Jr, Arizona Republic

Fri, January 2, 2026 at 10:57 PM UTC

1 min read

A lost dog was reunited with its owner New Year's Eve after it was spotted on a freeway traffic camera.

Nala, the large white dog, was returned to her owner in west Phoenix after Arizona Department of Transportation Supervisor Scott Stenbakken saw Nala on the camera, according to a Jan. 2 ADOT statement.

After he alerted the Department of Public Safety about the dog, Stenbakken checked the Facebook page, 'Straydar for Arizona, USA,' according to the ADOT statement. Straydar for Arizona, USA is a Facebook group with over 128,000 members and used by many residents to report found and missing animals.

He saw a photo of a dog that looked similar to the one on camera. Stenbakken commented on the owner's post and learned the dog he found was Nala, according to the ADOT statement.

Stenbakken notified the DPS trooper, who was able to get a leash on Nala and keep her from going onto the I-10, according to the ADOT statement.

The DPS trooper called the owner and Nala was picked up by a relative of the owner, according to the ADOT statement.

ADOT advised people to call 911 and not to rescue the pets on their own if they see pets in travel lanes or near the freeway.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Dog on Arizona freeway in Phoenix returned to owner

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