Animal In Distress

Dallas police department makes heroic rescue of German shepherd from freeway

The Dallas police department took heroic steps to rescue a German shepherd that was found wandering on I-35 during rush hour traffic on Wednesday morning.

The dog was first spotted on the Illinois exit at about 7:30 am, where motorists stopped and tried to assist the dog. But that only frightened the dog, who eventually made its way to the HOV lane.

The police department shut down the HOV lane at Loop 12, then boxed in the dog on either side, with one car driving backwards in the wrong direction.

The dog walked slowly down the lane until it reached a police car that had parked across the lane, blocking the dog in. By 8:30 am, Dallas Animal Services had arrived with a van. A stand-off took place for about 10 minutes, but the dog was eventually captured by an animal control officer and brought to safety.

WFAA traffic reporter Shane Allen documented the efforts of the police department on Twitter with a hashtag #HOVpooch.

"#HOVPooch now in a pickle as two @DallasPD officers trap him in. I hope he doesn't jump the barrier," Allen tweeted.

The animal services employee who rescued the dog was officer Eric Pogue.

UPDATE: According to a post from the Dallas Police Dept., the dog is a 10-year-old German shepherd who answers to the name "Elvis." The officers who helped save the dog were Charles Timmons and Sharifa Williams. The dog is currently at Dallas Animal Services, where he will be placed on hold for three days. If his owner doesn’t come and get him, he will be put up for adoption.

German shepherd wandering on I-35 south of downtown Dallas.

Photo courtesy of TXDOT

German shepherd wandering on I-35 south of downtown Dallas.

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power play

Dallas Stars skate from downtown toward Plano with new arena plans

Dallas Stars Facebook

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The Dallas Stars are planning to move north, out of downtown and to the suburb of Plano in five years after the lease is up at the NHL team's current home arena.

Stars officials announced Tuesday, June 2 the signing of a nonbinding letter of intent to build a new hockey-specific arena and entertainment district about 20 miles north of the downtown American Airlines Center, which they have shared with the Dallas Mavericks since it opened in 2001.

The leases at the AAC for both teams expire in 2031. The two franchises have been in a legal dispute about their partnership agreement and management of the building.

The Stars made their intentions known a day after the Mavericks said they have a preliminary agreement on a site for their own new arena about 10 miles north of downtown, but still within the Dallas city limits. The NBA's team deal is for 104 acres on the former site of Valley View Mall, which was demolished three years ago.

A new arena for the Stars is expected to be part of a large-scale redevelopment project at The Shops at Willow Bend, where the last enclosed mall built in Texas is set for demolition.

The Stars submitted their letter of intent to the city of Plano, which placed it on the City Council agenda for consideration at its next meeting Monday. The letter includes plans for the mixed-used project as well as design and construction of the arena.

“This project would present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our franchise,” Stars owner Tom Gaglardi said in a statement. “We eagerly await the vote by the Plano City Council and look forward to continuing the conversation to be part of the redevelopment of The Shops at Willow Bend.”

That mall on about 90 acres opened in 2001, and there are open restaurants and parking garages in the area. The new arena would anchor the redevelopment that could include sports, entertainment, retail, dining and public gathering spaces.

The NHL franchise was known as the North Stars before moving south from Minnesota and beginning play in Dallas for the 1993-94 season. The Stars in 1999 became the first of hockey's Sun Belt teams to win a Stanley Cup title.

The Stars won that championship while still playing at Reunion Arena, a building they also shared with the Mavericks after first moving to Dallas. The site of that downtown arena, which was fully demolished in 2009, is about a mile from the AAC.

The NFL's Cowboys were in Dallas during the franchise's first 11 seasons at the city's Cotton Bowl (1960-70), but moved to Texas Stadium in Irving in 1971, the season of their first Super Bowl title. They have played since 2009 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Arlington is also home to the Texas Rangers, the franchise that began as the Washington Senators in 1961. The Rangers are in their third stadium in Arlington since moving there in 1972. Globe Life Field, their retractable-roof stadium adjacent to AT&T Stadium, opened in 2020.