Chihuahua Rescued From Divider On California Highway (PHOTOS)

A traffic jam on a California highway on Saturday wasn't sparked by an accident or construction. It was caused by a scared little dog that hopped onto the divider and then tried to hunker down as cars whizzed by.

The California Highway Patrol's Contra Costa office tweeted a photo of the frightened chihuahua on her precarious perch:

The photo shows a CHP officer trying to lure the dog with a bit of his own snack, a protein bar. But the dog wasn't biting.

"We attempted to coax it, we could tell it was very frightened, it was shaking," CHP officer Alex Edmon told NBC Bay Area. "We were able to pet it a little bit, but other than that we could tell it was not happy."

The officers were on motorcycles and had no way to transport the little pooch, so they called in Contra Costa County Animal Control, based in Martinez, Calif., to help complete the rescue.

"She is extremely scared and allowed only a preliminary exam," the agency said on Facebook. "We found nothing obvious, but will do a further exam when she calms down."

The agency estimates that the dog is about 2 years old. And by Sunday, she was doing much better. The agency posted an update with photos:

There's no word on how the dog ended up on the divider, but police say she may have been dumped on the highway.

"As sad as it sounds, it actually happens pretty often," CHP Officer John Fransen told Bay City News.

The dog already has a potential home lined up if no one comes forward to claim her. But if the story of the highway chihuahua has you ready to rescue a pet of your own, there's certainly one out there for you. Petfinder, Adopt-A-Pet and the ASPCA can all help you find the perfect animal companion.