COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A dog who went missing after her owner was shot while driving on Interstate 75 Wednesday is in good hands after a woman said she scooped the pet out of harm's way.
Sara Weinschenk said she was completing an Instacart delivery and driving along I-75 in Cobb County by the Hickory Grove Road overpass when she saw Suzy dart into traffic.
"I see some cars stopped on the side of the road and I'm like 'what? what's going on?' Maybe a fender bender or something like that," she said about Wednesday's traffic back up.
According to Cobb County Police, a man had shot at a truck driver several times and sped away. Authorities were called to the shooting just north of Wade Green Road around 12:45 p.m. and blocked off traffic as they tried to help the man, who they said was shot in the torso.
Weinschenk was caught in some of the chaos.
She said she stopped and pulled up by the incident, and sees Suzy dart back across the lanes and then runs off in the other direction again.
"And at that point, everybody was blowing their car horns," she said. "I was screaming, running out into the middle of 75, flailing my arms, trying to get everybody to stop so they wouldn't hit her."
The Instacart driver was no longer focused on her job but on the dog. Weinschenk was able to chase her to the side of the interstate.
"Finally, at one point, I was just like 'you're not gonna catch your fun'," she said. "I jumped on her and grabbed her and ran down the side of 75 with her in my arms and put her in my car."
Weinschenk said she had no idea the dog was involved in the incident.
Authorities said Suzy's owner, the Massachusetts man driving the tractor-trailer, was rushed to the hospital after getting shot. An update from police said the 42-year-old is in stable condition but was still receiving medical care. As the man was taken to the hospital, the dog went missing. The victim's family told Weinschenk that the dog went everywhere with him, and was concerned she was lost forever.
"I had no earthly idea," Weinschenk said. "I just thought it was a dog, a stray dog that somebody had dumped on the side of the road."
For Weinschenk, she said it was the norm. She has worked with a rescue and has seen livestock, horses and dogs abandoned.
"I didn't think, you know, she came out of a car accident -- nothing like that," she said.
The animal-lover said she took Suzy to the vet to see if she had a microchip and learned the dog was around three years old and in good health. It wasn't until she got a text from her neighbor that she connected the dots and learned what happened to Suzy's owner.
"I was still baffled by the whole thing," she said.
She was able to talk to the truck driver's sister-in-law who explained how Suzy got lost.
"When I actually spoke to her, it kind of sank in and I started crying, and she started crying, and it was just the reality of the situation," she said.
Weinschenk reflected on how she almost didn't take the Instacart job, and how she contemplated not doing the shopping gig at Costco. And if she hadn't -- she wouldn't have been driving on I-75 Wednesday afternoon.
"To put the icing on the cake to this horrible ordeal that this poor man has been through," she said. "I get to reunite him with his best friend, his truck, buddy, the dog that goes with him everywhere that rides these roads with him."
Weinschenk told the victim's family that she will care for Suzy while her owner recovers, adding that the dog is settling in just fine. She also called the police to let them know that Suzy was safe in her home.
"She is (an) extremely well-behaved dog," she said. "As you can see, great with kids (and) possibly a smidgen spoiled since she's been here."
Instacart driver saves dog after owner shot along I-75
