LAKE COUNTY, Ind. (WGN) A dog is on the mend after a viral video Tuesday in Northwest Indiana showed him riding in an unsecured kennel on a trailer.

Ryan Jackson, of Hammond, was getting on I-80/94 westbound at around 11:45 a.m. near Calumet Avenue and got behind a black SUV hauling a trailer. He quickly noticed the SUV wasn’t pulling a piece of equipment or goods, but a shivering dog in a crate.

Jackson was first astonished at the sight.

“Are they getting on the highway for real?” he told affiliate WGN. “I thought, ‘Man this is crazy.'”

His next instinct was to document it for awareness and potentially for law enforcement after realizing the dog’s cage was not strapped to the trailer.

“It was a low trailer and the dog looked scared,” Jackson said. “As it approached the semi it looked very freaked out.”

In part of the video, the dog appears uncomfortable as it is slightly lifted into the air while the SUV goes over a bump.

“It was 28 [degrees] out and I was going about 70 to 80 [mph] and they were going a little faster than that,” Jackson recounted.

Jackson admitted he couldn’t really see inside the SUV due to tinted windows, but noticed there was a driver and passenger. He believes they noticed he was filming because they swiftly exited the interstate.

Jackson kept driving and called the authorities. Indiana State Police responded.

The exact details on how the dog, a male, was found by ISP are not known at this time, but they put out a happier update regarding the dog Tuesday evening.

Jackson was told an off-duty K9 handler learned about the situation and showed up to the scene. ISP released a video showing the dog warming up to the handler with the power of treats.

Indiana State Police said that the dog is being held at a safe undisclosed location and will be receiving treatment.

A detective was able to locate the dog at a home in Gary, Indiana, after reviewing the video, ISP said in a Wednesday press release.

“The dog appeared to have been abandoned near a residence where the owner of the suspect vehicle had previously resided,” the release explained. “With the assistance of an ISP K9 handler who was off duty but in the area, they were able to gain the dog’s trust and secure the dog.”

Authorities said they were able to identify the dog’s owner and speak with him. Charges “for the offense of Cruelty to an Animal – Class A Misdemeanor” have since been submitted to the local prosecutor’s office against the 37-year-old. ISP noted that the man is not in custody and has not been formally charged.

They posted a picture of the dog looking quite stoic next to a squad car after being saved.

“The dog is currently being housed in a foster home and is receiving much needed attention,” ISP added. Additional details are expected to be released on Thursday.

Jackson hopes the video is an “eye-opener” and wants the dog to get a better life. He said customers have been calling his business nonstop trying to adopt the dog after he posted the video to Facebook.

“A key point for me is that not everyone in the world has common sense,” Jackson said. “If someone is in a similar situation where they don’t know if they can or can’t do it, hopefully it’s an eye-opener.”