By Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell | Pet360.com



It's the type of photo that you have to take a double take and hope it is an internet hoax.



It's sad, but we found out this story circulating on Facebook this past weekend is true. Someone was actually driving down I-95 at 70 mph from at least Georgia into South Carolina with a dog in an open airline crate attached to a cargo holder on the back of a large SUV.



Pet360 reached out to Nicole Hubbard, who is the photographer and original poster of the story on social media, and was given the following information in a telephone interview.



"We pulled up behind the SUV and I asked my boyfriend, 'what are the chances they have a dog in that crate?' and he said, 'No way,' and we got up next to the vehicle and there was this little dog sitting in that crate," Hubbard says.



Hubbard, who has been an animal control officer in South Carolina for two years, knew that this action would fall under neglect in her jurisdiction because the dog didn't have any access to water on a 95 degree day. As well the poor pup, which she says appears to be about a 20 pound white Beagle mix, did not even have room to turn around or move in the diminutive space.



Learn More: All About Beagles



Hubbard was traveling back from a vacation in Florida when they spotted the vehicle at 11:52 a.m. She was alarmed at once because of the lack of water and the crate was completely open with no back to it and only one bungee cord and a nylon strap securing the crate to the cargo carrier, which didn't even have a protective fold up ramp, as some of those cargo carriers do.



She didn't motion for the driver to pull over, but having no jurisdiction in Georgia, she instead called the Georgia Highway Patrol, and they said they would dispatch an officer. After passing two more exits, she called a second time.



However, it wasn't until they got into South Carolina, a full hour and half later, at 1:30 p.m., that law enforcement in Georgia said that the South Carolina Highway Patrol was waiting to stop the vehicle.



"We never let them out of our sight until the highway patrol stopped them," says Hubbard.



Read More: Safety First: Pet Restraints for Travel



Pet360 tried to verify that something was done to protect this poor puppy for the rest of the journey with the South Carolina Highway Patrol, who told us that calls on I-95 would be passed off to local law enforcement. The Ridgeland Police Department had no record of a stop or any citations issued to this white Dodge Durango with North Carolina plates.



We thank Nicole Hubbard for taking the time to make sure that police responded to her pleas to help this dog.



We can only hope that an animal loving officer made the right call and ordered this poor dog into the vehicle, where it was safer or took the dog into protective custody.



Editor's Note: Image by Nicole Hubbard



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