For the second day in a row during morning rush hour, the devious dog darted onto the Eisenhower Expressway near Manheim.
"I was thinking, 'That poor dog is going to cause an accident. Somebody is probably going to end up getting hurt to avoid hurting the dog,'" said Officer Tony Santucci of the Broadview Police Department.
The dog led IDOT Minutemen, suburban police officers and firefighters on a nearly two-hour chase. He exited the Ike at Mannheim, sniffed around Proviso West High School, and managed to repeatedly give officers the slip.
"I was trying to call him, and he wouldn't come near me. Residents were trying to get the dog, but he just kept running," Santucci said.
"When he jumped back on the highwa, a car came to a screeching halt and hit him," said Lt. James Flynn of the Hillside Fire Department.
The car lost a fog lamp, but the pit bull soldiered on. Finally, at 8:15 a.m. Thursday, Eisenhower gave himself up.
"He kind of just curled up. Like a good criminal, he knew the game was up. He just laid down and closed his eyes," said Broadview Police Sgt. Mike Kosik.
And that's the position he stayed in Thursday afternoon. Veterinarian Tracy Garza was restoring Eisenhower's fluids with an IV. According to Hill-Chester Animal Hospital staff members, the dog's paw pads are a little worn, but other than, that he's pretty good shape.
Garza says she thinks, if he's a stray, he hasn't been for very long.
"My guess is, he's a family pet. Just judging from other pets that have come in here; a lot of people don't have money, or time. There's a cost to give them up, and a lot of people just let their dogs go," the veterinarian said.
On Wednesday, the pit bull was spotted just after 6 a.m. near Des Plaines Ave. State police and Ill. Dept of Transportation crews first tracked the dog as it ran east along the shoulder.
That day, the dog ran in and out of traffic on the Ike for about a half hour but was not hit by any cars. He got off the expressway at First Avenue and took a swim in the Des Plaines River before disappearing into the Miller Meadow Forest Preserve in Maywood.
The head of Cook County Animal Control tells ABC7 they received calls and helped search for the dog Wednesday, but they did not receive any calls for assistance Thursday morning.
The animal hospital says anyone claiming to be the dog's owner will have to provide proof. After five days, the dog will be given to a pit bull shelter.
