Dog Who Survived 110-Mile Trip in Truck Engine Adopted by Driver

Chevy, the dog who earlier this month survived a 110-mile road trip inside the engine compartment of a pickup truck, has a new furever home.

Jaime Magaña, the driver of the truck, officially became Chevy’s dog dad today.

Magaña has changed the fortunate Keeshond-Tibetan Spaniel mix’s name to Houdini.

“He escaped death,” Magaña explained to the Orange County Register.

When taking a break from driving around Southern California in record-breaking heat on Oct. 1, Magaña felt movement in the front of his company’s Chevy Silverado truck after he turned off the engine.

“I didn’t want to look under the hood,” Magaña told the Orange County Register at the time. “When I opened the hood he looked at me like thank you very much.”

Despite his ordeal, Houdini had no injuries. Magaña told the Register he thinks the dog climbed up throuh a wheel opening and got stuck in the engine compartment.

Houdini’s story went viral. No one claimed the dog, and the San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter was flooded with adoption applications.

Kim Cholodenko, general manager of the shelter, told the Register that Magaña and his wife, along with their two dogs, visited Houdini in the shelter last weekend, and it seemed like a perfect match. “It’s a happy ending,” she said.

“I couldn’t just let him go,” Magaña told the Register. “I have two dogs, but after what we went through with this, it has to be ours.”

PHOTO: Pet Project Foundation

Laura Goldman

Laura Goldman is senior social media writer for i Love Dogs, Inc. She does love dogs. And elephants and turtles. Along with writing about the loves of her life, Laura likes to play with her two pound pups and tell anyone who’ll listen just how awesome Pit Bulls are.