Support rolls in for ‘Taho,’ puppy rescued by Ramsey County deputies

Community support is pouring in after deputies with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office rescued a dog that was thrown from a truck during a pursuit.

The puppy, nicknamed Taho, was found hiding in the snow near the highway with a broken leg and other injuries.

“We honestly didn’t think we were looking for a dog that was alive,” said Sgt. Dan Young.

As previously reported, Ramsey County deputies were in pursuit of carjacking suspects late Monday night. At one point, the suspects were driving the wrong way on Interstate 694.

Eventually, deputies stopped the driver of a white pickup truck with a pit maneuver. Deputies arrested one woman but have not yet caught two men who ran from the truck.

“Crime is running rampant right now, and we’re just doing our best,” Young said.

While combing through video of the incident, investigators noticed a “white object” thrown from a truck window. It was later determined to be a dog.

The next morning, Young stepped in to help by using his drone to search for the dog.

“We were looking for a white dog in a whole bunch of snow, so it was a difficult search,” Young said.

Eventually, the technology led them to some footsteps, and they found Taho alive. He was hiding in the snow about 50 yards from where he was thrown from the vehicle.

“He was burrowed way down. You could see his snout and the top of his head, and I think that insulated him enough that he could survive that night,” Young said.

The sheriff’s office doesn’t know who the owner of the dog is because he isn’t chipped or tagged. They decided to call him Taho in the meantime.

“The vet said, ‘What’s his name, what do you want to call him?’ And we drive a lot of Tahoes here, our patrol deputies drive Tahoes, so he just blurted out Taho and it stuck,” Young said.

With a broken leg and multiple lacerations, Taho is on the road to recovery. So far, the sheriff’s office says community members have chipped in more than $20,000 through a fundraiser to help pay for Taho’s medical expenses.

“The outpouring of help and concern over a dog is amazing to see, and it shows the goodness of people, and it shows that people are willing to help.”

Taho’s next steps are unclear; the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office says he’s technically evidence in the case.

In the meantime, Taho is in good hands with a member of the county. If you’d like to show your support for Taho and his recovery, visit the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Foundation fundraiser.