Milo unruffled by ordeal, says rescuer

Milo dodges heavy commuter traffic on the Auckland Harbour Bridge just before he was given a ride and handed over to police. Photo / Supplied

The last thing Wayne Elsby expected to see when he was heading home after a day's work was a tiny dog at the top of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Assuming there had been an accident, Mr Elsby slowed his car to a stop.

But the Kaukapakapa driver was baffled when he saw police officers, on foot, on the north-bound clip-on lanes trying to catch Milo, the terrier-cross that wandered from a caregiver's home in St Marys Bay about 4.30pm on Monday.

"We thought there was an accident up front because all the cars were stopping," he said.

"And I got up to the top and then next thing I saw a couple of those cops wandering around trying to get something, and then everyone's door was opening and I thought that's a bit weird.

"Next thing I saw that dog.

"I opened the door and I said 'come on, come on' and it just walked over to me and it looked like it was going to take off, so I grabbed it."

Still wearing his seatbelt, Mr Elsby picked Milo up, put her on his passenger seat and drove to the end of the bridge and handed her to police.

Mr Elsby said the tiny dog seemed quite laid-back about the ordeal.

"It just sat on the seat ... just sort of looked at me and by the time I got to the bottom it was almost asleep."

Mt Wellington driver Tony Lawrence caught the moment seconds before Milo's capture on camera and is astounded she survived. "I thought 'that dog's dead'," he said.

"People honestly made an effort not to run it over. I could not believe it.

"This dog was so lucky ... this dog was destined to live."

Milo was cared for by North Shore City Council animal control officer Phil Eagles, who embarked on a search for the owner.

The search took several hours because contact details recorded on the council's database from Milo's microchip had an old phone number.

Milo's owner, believed to be a woman in her 20s, was relieved to have her back but did not wish to comment.

Over the years, police have rescued an English setter dog, a white kitten and a blue penguin from the harbour bridge.