CARPINTERIA, Calif. — Three cars crashed on northbound Highway 101 Wednesday afternoon to avoid a loose dog running down the center divider near Santa Monica Rd in Carpinteria, according to the Carp-Summerland Fire.

Corresponding California Highway Patrolthe black German shepherd ran south on the north side of the center divider starting at Santa Clause Ln and ran all the way to the county line.

CHP said the owner, who was driving a black truck, first stopped at Padaro Ln around 1:47 p.m. when his dog ran up the ramp and onto the right side of the southbound freeway.

The dog then moved to the center divider near Santa Monica Rd and began running south on the north side of the divider.

The crash was reported at 1:49 p.m. on Santa Monica Rd. Carp-Summerland Fire said officers responded and found one car with minor damage and two cars with moderate damage that had to be towed.

The drivers told first responders the accident happened because they were trying to avoid the loose dog.

A minor injury was reported but did not require hospitalization, according to the Carp-Summerland Fire.

Traffic built up between Bailard and Santa Clause Ln throughout the afternoon due to the incident.

The CHP log shows that the owner continued to follow the dog’s path until the last reported update at 2:10 p.m. and said the dog had reached the county line, still in the center partition.

The current status of the dog or its owner is not known at this time, but any updates coming into the station will be provided here.

This is an evolving story.