Runaway sausage dog reunited with family after causing traffic chaos on Queensland’s M1 motorway

A viral online clip of a runaway sausage dog causing traffic chaos on a major motorway led the pup to be reunited with his owners.

Dashcam footage captured the moment the dachshund, named Sanji, ran along the busy M1 between the Gold Coast and Brisbane with his long ears flapping in the breeze, forcing drivers into a rolling blockade to protect the panicked pup.

Multiple drivers attempted to catch the tenacious dog, with one motorist failing to snag him before he finally jumped straight into Jeff Tapsall’s four-wheel drive.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Sausage dog reunited with family after motorway chaos.

“His little dachshund leg somehow got up inside the car by himself. He was quite tired, he was obviously panicked,” Tapsall said.

Sanji’s owners had been searching for the dog for two days after he went missing, with no idea where he could be until the dashcam footage went viral online.

“A friend in the UK messaged me and he said, ‘oh, imagine if that was your dog?’ Sent me the clip of him running around the M1 and yeah, mate, that’s Sanji,” owner Bryce Speechly said.

Owner Tahne Speechly described Sanji as “so tenacious and stubborn” after watching the footage of his motorway adventure.

While Sanji didn’t ask for his five minutes of fame, his family is using the attention to thank all the patient drivers who stopped to help.

“Absolute legends. Every person we’ve dealt with has been so helpful,” Bryce said.

The family says from now on, Sanji will be keeping an even lower profile.