A state trooper on a late-night patrol along Interstate 80 noticed a dog standing in the middle of the icy road during a sleet storm. At first he thought the animal was blocking traffic, but when he approached, he realized the injured spaniel had a crushed leg and was protecting a taped cardboard box beneath her body.<\/p>\n
Inside the box were four freezing puppies that someone had thrown from a moving vehicle. As a semi-truck approached, the trooper quickly grabbed the box and the injured dog and rushed them into his cruiser, driving with lights and sirens to the nearest emergency veterinary clinic.<\/p>\n
Three puppies survived, while the fourth had to be revived with CPR after nearly dying from hypothermia. The mother dog underwent emergency surgery and lost her damaged leg but survived.<\/p>\n
The trooper adopted the brave dog, naming her Shield<\/strong>, and kept the smallest puppy, Bumper<\/strong>, while the others were adopted by fellow officers. After the story went viral online, police identified the person responsible using a unique type of duct tape and arrested him for multiple counts of felony animal cruelty.<\/p>\n Today, the trooper still drives the same highway at night\u2014but now he remembers the courage of the dog who risked everything to protect her puppies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"