02/24/2026
Many of you were aware that ERC was working on a dog that had been seen in the median of the interstate many times over the last month. I'm happy to say she has been caught and is now safe!
This post is long, but I want to share this girl's incredible story with you:
Harriet's ("The Median Dog") Recovery Story:
She was first seen just before the winter storm hit.
She had chosen the median of the highway as her home.
The day we set the first trap was the same day snow was forecasted to roll in. By the next morning, it was piling up. We kept that trap in place as long as we safely could, even as it became half buried and freezing temperatures began stiffening the closing mechanism.
She never showed.
When the snow became deep enough that the trap could no longer function properly, we had to pull it. That is always hard, especially not knowing if the dog made it through the storm.
This weighed heavily on mine and Morgan’s hearts.
Morgan is who initially called me saying she spotted her under the overpass, allowing us to know she was coming to the median by choice and wasn’t physically trapped there.
She is also the one who took the video (see the comments for that video) of Harriet sleeping in the median as cars passed by her only a few feet away at highway speed — the video I later posted to Missouri Paws, which led the rescue community to rally and secure placement for her with Stray Rescue of St. Louis .
Morgan continued feeding even when sightings stopped. Even when hope felt thin.
One morning, she saw paw prints in the snow. The food was gone.
Hope returned.
We set the trap there, baited it with yummy foods and watched and waited.
For days, all we saw there at the trap were cats and birds.
At that point, we both were thinking the same thing, but not saying it. But the possibility that she hadn’t made it through the storm as no sightings of her were coming in from anywhere was becoming more and more likely as the time went on.
Then Springfield-Greene County Animal Control reached out. They had stayed in contact and notified me anytime calls came in. A nearby church had reported a dog matching her description sleeping on their property for a week!
She had survived the storm.
The church was incredible. They allowed us to establish a feeding station. She showed up on camera three nights in a row.
We planned to trap.
The night before we were going to set it, she didn’t come.
The week she was there, the church was quiet due to no meetings being held there due to the weather.
Church activities had resumed, and so did the Construction of the sound barrier wall along I-44, directly in front of the church property. The increase in activity and attention made her visits more sporadic, even though she was still being seen in the area.
Eventually, she retreated back to the median we had worked so hard to move her away from.
That’s where she chose to stay, on a discarded futon someone had lost off a truck in the middle of the highway.
For three days.
We received daily reports from all over. People called 911. People posted on Leigh's Lost and Found. People messaged me directly.
Strangers driving past her, concerned and wanting her safe.
This community notices. And we are so thankful.
But setting a trap in a highway median is not something you do casually. If pressured, which easily can happen in a situation like this, a dog can bolt straight into traffic, and that risk is often fatal.
At one point, an animal control officer entered the median in response to reports. It was an extremely risky situation. Approaching a loose dog in that environment can end very badly, and it is not something the public should attempt.
But something important happened in that moment.
She did not relocate.
She barked. She held her ground. She stayed anchored to that spot.
I was already considering the possibility that we might have to contain her there if she returned again but that interaction accelerated the timeline. It gave insight faster than waiting for her to show us on her own, though it came with significant risk.
Without a controlled plan, pressure in a highway median can, and usually does, cost a dog their life.
So the next morning, Morgan, her boyfriend, and I moved quickly and strategically, and set the trap in a way that minimized disturbance to her.
She was captured within the hour.
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Harriet survived a winter storm in a highway median.
She survived construction noise and activity.
She survived freezing nights alone.
She watched everyone live their lives from afar, too afraid to come to anyone for help.
And once she was safe?
Etta emerged.
I sat with her in my truck with her in the backseat in a crate when we got to my house the night we caught her, to let her be near me without any other distractions.
I watched videos on my phone, answered texts, etc and just let her see I wasn't there to harm her.
No pressure from me, just presence. I didn't try to talk to her, or look at her even. With the constant noise of being that close to the highway for that long, a quiet environment where she could fully feel safe was needed.
She laid there, watching me, then falling asleep. And when she woke up, she let out a huge sigh, stood up, and wagged her tail and whined while trying to put her paws through the kennel to reach my arm.
We named her Harriet, after Harriet Tubman:
Strong. Determined. Unmovable in the face of danger.
and “Etta” for short.
It felt fitting for a dog who navigated traffic, survived a winter storm, and chose her ground carefully.
The same dog who had claimed a highway median as shelter because people couldn't bother her there… melted into hands.
She leaned in.
She sought comfort.
She let herself be held.
Her body softened. Her eyes changed. The alert, calculating survivor gave way to a young puppy who simply wanted connection.
That contrast is always the part that gets me.
The dog who survives alone in traffic… is still just a baby underneath it all.
From highway median… to warmth, safety, and endless gratitude and love.
She doesn’t have to sleep in the median anymore.
And she didn’t get there because of one person.
She got there because Morgan made the call and followed the process to a T.
Because Stray Rescue of St. Louis said yes.
Because Animal Control communicated.
Because a church opened their doors and let us set up there without any hesitation.
Because people reported what they saw.
Because this community cared.
It may be a different team every time. Different neighborhoods. Different helpers.
But it is never a solo effort.
And this team showed up for her. 🐾
((Enjoy the photos from the trap Cam that show her recovery from the trap. I'll add additional photos into the comments as well.))
