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Distraught dog ‘saved’ from street by police officer finds home

Posted at 11:50 AM, Apr 08, 2014
and last updated 2014-04-08 12:45:15-04
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Bruno ready to his reunion. (PHOTO: Richmond Animal Care and Control)

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – One week after his story made national news, the lost dog saved from a busy street by a Richmond Police officer was reunited with his owner.

When we last saw Bruno, he was in the middle of Jeff Davis Highway and refusing to leave the side of his dog friend who had been hit and killed by a car.

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Richmond Police Officer Karen Spencer-Boyles consoles Bruno on Jeff Davis Highway

Richmond Police Officer Karen Spencer-Boyles did not want Bruno to suffer the same fate, so she stopped her cruiser, got out of her car and helped calm the grieving dog while she moved him to safety.

“You could just tell he was scared,” Spencer-Boyles said. “He just looked helpless. It’s kind of like if you had a friend and your friend had been hurt. He just stood by his friend.”

Her actions garnered praise from around the country.

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Happy reunion between Bruno his owner (PHOTO: Richmond Animal Care and Control)

Bruno was collected by Richmond Animal Control and Care and taken in for observation.

Had no one stepped forward to claim the dog within 10 days, Bruno would have been put up for adoption.

Teresa Melton made sure that was not going to happen. She said Bruno is her daughter’s dog and the nine-year-old pet somehow escaped a relative’s backyard.

She said when she went to Richmond Animal Control and Care to claim Bruno, workers found a microchip that proved she was the dog’s owner.

When told over the phone about the Richmond Police officer who stopped to save Bruno, Melton was grateful.

“I would love to meet her,” Melton said. “We rescued Bruno from the SPCA. Refusing to leave a friend’s side sounds just like him. I think he used to be a service dog.”

Melton said her family would adjust how they cared for their pet to make sure no one let Bruno out of their sight again.