A viral dashcam clip of a runaway dachshund causing traffic chaos on the M1 motorway has led to the dog being reunited with his owners. The pup, named Sanji, was seen running along the busy highway between the Gold Coast and Brisbane, his long ears flapping in the breeze, as drivers formed a rolling blockade to protect him.
Multiple motorists attempted to catch the tenacious dog, but it was Jeff Tapsall who succeeded when Sanji jumped into his four-wheel drive. “His little dachshund leg somehow got up inside the car by himself. He was quite tired, he was obviously panicked,” Tapsall said.
Sanji’s owners, Bryce and Tahne Speechly, had been searching for him for two days after he went missing. They had no idea where he was until the dashcam footage went viral online. “A friend in the UK messaged me and he said, ‘oh, imagine if that was your dog?’ Sent me the clip of him running around the M1 and yeah, mate, that’s Sanji,” Bryce said.
Tahne described Sanji as “so tenacious and stubborn” after watching the footage of his motorway adventure. The family is now using the attention to thank the patient drivers who stopped to help. “Absolute legends. Every person we’ve dealt with has been so helpful,” Bryce said. From now on, Sanji will be keeping a lower profile.
