PHOTOS: Tennessee Trooper Adopts Dog After Rescuing It from Dangerous Heat on Side of Interstate

A little dog named Princess has found a new home after being found alone on the side of the highway in dangerous heat.

Kaye Fiorello was driving to an appointment on Interstate 75 in Tennessee on June 15 when she noticed a small dog in a ditch on the side of the highway.

Before noticing the dog, she remembered she had passed a state trooper sitting in his patrol vehicle and decided to risk a ticket by turning around and pulling up to the officer in the turnout to alert him.

The officer was willing to help, and they drove their vehicles to where the dog was located. Recounting the event through a Facebook post, Fiorella described finding the dog, who was still there, as “panting like she was fixing to die.”

In an effort to alleviate the dog’s discomfort from the scorching heat, the trooper poured out the kool-aid he was drinking from a jug, “fashioned” the jug into a water bowl, and poured some water into it.

Princess was initially hesitant to drink, according to Fiorello, but eventually trusted the trooper after he stuck his hand out for the dog to sniff, after which she drank the entire bowlful quickly.

The trooper, whose last name is Tudors, then got an umbrella to protect the dog from the heat until he felt like Princess could trust him.

She was taken to the veterinarian’s hospital, where she is still being treated for a broken pelvis and some internal issues.

Thankfully for Princess, Tudors decided to adopt the pup and will take her home with him as soon as she is released from the hospital.

An Angel fund has been set up for Princess to help with the pricey bill for nursing the dog back to health at the veterinarian’s hospital.

“Princess still has a lot of healing, but she’s [a] good girl with a strong will to live,” said Fiorella in her Facebook post.

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.