A rescue dog recently endured quite an ordeal, spending two days in a dark train tunnel in San Francisco before being rescued on Tuesday.
Lou, a 2-year-old pit bull mix, went missing shortly after being adopted and was ultimately discovered by a Caltrain driver while he was crouched in the Potrero Hill tunnel.
Initially, the driver mistook Lou for a dead animal. On the second day, however, the driver’s attention was caught by the dog’s movement. “He was so still that they thought he might have been hit by a train,” said a representative from San Francisco Animal Care and Control (SFACC). A video detailing the incident was later posted on Instagram.
Animal control officers collaborated with Caltrain personnel to venture into the pitch-black tunnel and bring Lou back to safety.
The officers, identified as Pawn and Borg, entered the dark space with the Caltrain team, eventually discovering that Lou had not been struck by a train; he was simply frightened and huddled there for two days. “This kind of rescue isn’t the norm,” noted Caltrain spokesman Dan Lieberman. He added, “Dogs generally avoid trains since they can be noisy and daunting.”
After panicking post-adoption, Lou was fortunate enough to have a microchip, facilitating his reunion with his owner.
SFACC, which is funded by taxpayers, offers shelter and medical care to animals that are lost, stray, abandoned, sick, injured, or surrendered.
This rescue follows a recent effort where officers saved a goose struggling to swim in a local park, bringing it back to the shelter for care.
