Dog helps lead Maine trooper to rollover crash near Lincoln

Maine state troopers received assistance from an unexpected source when a dog helped alert police to a two-car crash earlier this week, according to officials.

At around 5:29 p.m July 10, while parked at a crossover on Interstate 95 near Lincoln, Trooper Chris Pina noticed a dog running in front of his cruiser, according to a Facebook post from Maine State Police.

Pina managed to get the muddy and scratched-up canine into his cruiser, figuring it was an escaped or lost pet. However, as he called in the dog to dispatch, he noticed a man on the southbound side of the interstate yelling for help, according to the statement.

What Pina found after investigating the yelling was a maroon SUV in a ditch and a green RAV4 on its roof in a lane of traffic, officials said. The driver of the green RAV4 allegedly fell asleep at the wheel and drifted into the travel lane, rear-ending the SUV, according to the statement.

Police said that the crash caused both vehicles to roll over several times. A couple in the maroon SUV had two dogs, which were ejected from the car, according to state police.

One dog found Pina and the other, a Doberman named Bentley, went missing for a few days before being found by Kathy Winslow of Lost Dog Recovery.

Lincoln police posted a picture of the couple and their found furry friend Thursday, celebrating Bentley’s return.