Ten greyhounds that fell onto an L.A. freeway have been rescued. Others are still missing

Brenda Marquez was driving west on the 60 Freeway in Boyle Heights when she spotted a big box in her rearview mirror, then something more unusual — many large dogs running loose.

She pulled over to the right. It was a little before 7 a.m. on Saturday, so there were few cars, but those that passed were going very fast.

Marquez called 911, then tried to round up the dogs — all greyhounds — without sending them into traffic.

Two dogs ventured toward her, and she loaded them in her Subaru. Another two were harder to convince, but she managed to nab them. Marquez and other witnesses believe that 15 to 20 dogs in crates had fallen out of the back of a truck onto the freeway.

In all, 10 greyhounds were found. Most were placed at the North Central Animal Shelter or in foster homes.

Where they were coming from and where they were going remains a mystery. They lack tattoos, so they likely did not come from racing tracks, said Cathy Kiburtz, president of GreySave, an L.A. county rescue group that specializes in former racing greyhounds.

Volunteers from Kiburtz’s group have been combing the area near the Lorena exit with the dwindling hope of finding more dogs.

After Marquez called 911, it took about half an hour for a California Highway Patrol car to arrive, she said. An officer with the last name McAdams helped her transfer the four greyhounds she had caught to his vehicle.

He rescued a fifth dog, though neither of them had any luck with another that darted off and was later hit by a car.

A video posted on Instagram showed five greyhounds in a CHP patrol car, with several accepting head scratches.

The CHP did not provide information about the incident.

“I have no idea how I did it,� said Marquez, a computer consultant and dog lover who lives with a Yorkie and a Chihuahua in East L.A. “I don’t know where I got that willpower to get four dogs. I didn’t have any leashes or treats. But they were very sweet, very malnourished.�

One greyhound was spotted by a bus rider, according to Kiburtz. Another is being adopted by a family after it walked up to their Boyle Heights house on Tuesday. Volunteers from GreySave will provide the family with information about the breed and help to get the dog sterilized.

Many of the greyhounds have scars or road rash, which Kiburtz said could have come from falling off the truck.

“My phone has been ringing for hours. At this point our critical effort is to find them,� she said. “We’re focused on doing our best to bring these guys back and to get proper care for them.�

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Tom Kiesche, a volunteer at the North Central shelter, described the five greyhounds staying there as “very docile. They all know each other. But what a crazy experience they’ve been through.�

Kiesche, an actor, said he is eager to discover the dogs’ origins.

“I really want to know who would have all of them in a wooden crate in the back of a truck that was not secure,� he said. “We’ve heard all of these theories on where these dogs were going and what they were doing. Nobody knows.�

Anyone with information about the dogs can call (866) GREY-SAVE.

Dog racing is now banned in more than 40 states, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

Greyhounds adopted from race tracks are used to being handled by humans and are comfortable with strangers but may not be good watchdogs, according to GreySave’s website.

Despite their speed, which can reach 45 miles per hour, greyhounds are “couch potatoes� who sleep most of the day and can adapt to apartment life, the website said.

Greyhounds, with their graceful physiques and narrow heads, weigh an average of 60 to 70 pounds. They are known to be independent, Kiburtz said. Her group will look for fosters and adopters who have experience with large dogs and “are home a lot.�

“They’re usually OK with other dogs, except those dogs shouldn’t be too tiny,� she said. “When you have a greyhound, your life is changed, and they are beautiful.�