Animal welfare worker Nicole Hubbard spots SUV pulling dog crate down highway

A US animal control worker was shocked to see a SUV pulling a dog crate behind it speeding down the highway.

Nicole Hubbard Facebook

A US animal control worker was shocked to see a crate with a dog inside being pulled behind a SUV driving down the highway.

Nicole Hubbard posted photos to Facebook and told blog Pet360 she spotted the bizarre set-up while driving on the I-95 highway from Georgia to South Carolina. The SUV was going at least 70mp/h (113km/h), with the dog crate attached to the back of the vehicle. The crate was secured only with bungee cord and nylon strap, without any protective ramp.

"We pulled up behind the SUV and I asked my boyfriend, 'what are the chances they have a dog in that crate? and he said ‘no way’", Ms Hubbard told Pet360. "We got up next to the vehicle and there was this little dog sitting in that crate."

Ms Hubbard said she immediately was concerned for the welfare of the Beagle mix inside because the animal was cramped and had no water despite it being a hot day with the 95F temperatures (35C).

Ms Hubbard knew that as a Georgia animal welfare officer she had no jurisdiction to pull over the driver herself, so she immediately called local law enforcement.

She and her boyfriend then followed the SUV and dog for an hour and a half, until South Carolina Highway Patrol pulled over the offending vehicle.

"We never let them out of our sight until the highway patrol stopped them," said Ms Hubbard, who said the conditions the dog was kept in would be considered abusive in her jurisdiction in Georgia.