Dogs have plenty of canine defense mechanisms when they’re around strangers. Some show aggression by growling and showing their teeth, some scooch themselves into a safe corner, and some run away as fast as they can. In regards to that, this particular dog leads firefighters on a chase after his owner got caught up in an accident.
In July 2020, a car accident occurred in Maryland, and one of the victims was someone with her little dog.
A Shih Tzu-poodle dog, Astro, and his owner, Liyah Young, were caught up in a multi-vehicle crash on a busy highway in Maryland. Several officials and firefighters responded to the crash and tended to the victims, including Astro’s owner, who suffered from several minor injuries. As Liyah Young was taken to a nearby hospital, Astro was kept inside the fire department’s vehicle to keep him safe.
Someone opened the vehicle door following the series of unfortunate events.
The poor dog didn’t want to be cooped up in the truck without knowing where his owner was, and so he waited for the best opportunity to get out of there. Astro’s opportunity arrived as soon as someone opened the door to the vehicle. The dog then immediately jumped onto his feet to escape.
The firefighters then had to chase the clever dog escapee.
The grand chase started with the firemen and some officials banding together to catch the feisty dog. They tried to corner the little dog as best as they could, but every time they thought they finally drove Astro into a corner, he would just find another way to slip away from them.
When Montgomery Fire and Rescue Capt. Don Yingling was interviewed by WJLA, he said:
“We were in pretty good shape. The dog was ahead of us, but we were gaining ground on him, and there was a break in the Jersey wall, and he made it through there, and that’s when it got a little hairy.”
The chase stretched on for seven minutes and it was the funniest thing that happened on the street that day.
The elusive Astro ran away as fast as possible and slipped into the traffic and even into the nearby bushes and trees. Eventually, after seven minutes, a firefighter was able to anticipate the dog’s route and caught him from behind the pine tree.
Helicopters were able to tape the hilarious dog chase on the streets that day, and Fox 32 Chicago uploaded the video on Facebook accompanied by funny music. The clip racked up over 26,000 reactions on Facebook with more than 9,500 people leaving their comments on the silly video.
Astro was brought safely back to his home, where his owner was waiting for him.
The dog was captured and returned to his home safe and sound. Liyah said that the dog suffered a small paw injury, but that was understandable since he was running on hot pavement.
The important thing was Astro was brought home, and it was all thanks to the firefighters’ efforts — they refused to let the little dog out of their sight. Surely, Liyah made sure to rehydrate Astro and gave him a bowlful of food after that long chase under the heat of the sun.
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