PORTSMOUTH - We've all heard the phrase "seat belts save lives."
In one case, it saved a dog's life and earned the pooch and her owner the Va. Highway Safety Office's Saved by the Belt award.
Isabella, a three-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, and owner Marie Bentley survived a serious car accident in Portsmouth last April.
Police credit the seat belts, and in Isabella's case a canine belt, and airbags for saving their lives.
"Secure our pets. They are like our family, but moreover, secure any passenger that is in the vehicle, whether it's a two-legged or four-legged kind," said Maryann Rayment with the Va. Highway Safety Office.
Bentley says she's used a canine belt since Isabella was six months old.
