SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A chihuahua mix found running on the Bay Bridge on Sunday is now in a foster home, to give him some time to rest and settle down before he is available for adoption.

Animal Care and Control spokesperson, Deb Cambell, said the placement will allow the dog, named Ponch, to learn to be social again and allow him to come out of his shell.

“He’s a nervous guy,” Cambell said. Shelter staff are not sure whether he is nervous because he had a crazy day or he’s just a nervous guy, or both.

Ponch was rescued on the westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday after he led the California Highway Parol on a chase. When CHP officers caught up with the black, 2-to-4-year-old, 10-to-20-ounce pooch, they took him to Animal Care and Control.

He was named Ponch after a character played by Erik Estrada on the TV show “CHiPs”, Cambell said.

Ponch is not neutered and he did not have any tags or a microchip to identify him.

Ponch went into a foster home on Thursday. Shelter officials expect he will be in the home for a week while they can tell if he is calming down and coming out of his shell. “We’re addressing him daily,” Cambell said.

Shelter officials held Ponch for five days before they decided to place him in the foster home.

Some people came forward to claim him, but no one could prove that he was theirs.

CHP officers are not sure how Ponch got on the Bay Bridge, but they don’t think he was thrown from a vehicle because he did not appear to be injured, CHP Officer Vu Williams said. Cambell said shelter officials did not discover any injuries either.

Officers think he may have come from Treasure Island or a car stopped and let him off, Williams said.

Lots of people came to see Ponch at the shelter. “People were knocking down the doors to see him,” which made him more jittery, Cambell said.

She said people really care. “It’s heartwarming,” she said.

It’s difficult for shelter officials to say right now what kind of permanent home would be best for Ponch, until he comes out of his shell. A quite home with someone who has had a dog in the past would probably be best, Cambell said.Bay City News contributed to this report.