STAR, Idaho — Two Star police officers are being credited with saving an injured dog they spotted in a ditch while out on patrol.
According to the Ada County Sheriff's Office, Officer Alan Speakes and Officer Sean Dalrymple were driving on Idaho 44 near Idaho 16 Tuesday morning when they spotted the motionless animal on the roadside. Sheriff's office spokesman Patrick Orr said that at first, the pair thought the dog was a coyote.
But when they stopped to check it out, they realized it was a male German Shepherd. Speakes and Dalrymple loaded the dog up and drove him to the Star Veterinary Clinic on State Street.
Lorraine Gutierrez, the clinic's veterinary assistant and receptionist, said the German Shepherd had a wound on his back leg, possibly from being clipped by a car.
Staff at the vet's office suspected the dog was an escaped pet rather than a true stray, Gutierrez said. And sure enough, a short time later, they were able to link the dog to social media posts about a lost German Shepherd in Star.
The clinic was able to get in touch with the owners, who rushed over to pick up their pet. The owner told the veterinary staff that both his German Shepherds had gotten away five days ago. The other dog was quickly found but Zuki - the dog Speakes and Dalrymple spotted - was nowhere to be found.
Gutierrez said Zuki forgot his injury the second his owners walked in the door.
"He was just as excited, jumped up on all fours," Gutierrez said. "It was an amazing reunion."
