A runaway rescue dog survived two days trapped inside a dark San Francisco railway tunnel before crews finally pulled the frightened pup to safety Tuesday.
Roo, a 2-year-old pit bull mix, disappeared just days after being adopted and was eventually spotted by Caltrain operators hunkered down inside a Potrero Hill rail tunnel.
“The first day train operators saw him & thought he was a dead animal. The 2nd day a driver saw him move. He was so still they thought he had been hit by a train and was injured,” the San Francisco Animal Care and Control (SFACC) said in a video posted on Instagram.
Animal control officers teamed up with Caltrain staff to venture into the pitch-black tunnel and retrieve the terrified dog.
“Officer Pone & Officer Borg went into the dark tunnel with Caltrain staff to find the dog. It turns out he hadn’t been hit by a train. He was just scared & hunkered down there for 2 days,” SFACC further said.
Caltrain spokesperson Dan Lieberman said the bizarre rescue is far from typical.
“This is pretty unlikely. Typically dogs do not like spending time around trains – they’re loud and scary and they typically are not hanging out around them,” Lieberman told The San Francisco Chronicle.
Roo had bolted in a panic shortly after being adopted, but his microchip ultimately helped reunite him with his owner.
SFACC, the city’s taxpayer-funded animal shelter, provides housing and medical care for “stray, lost, abandoned, sick, injured, and surrendered animals.”
The rescue comes just weeks after the shelter saved a goose that was struggling to swim at a local park. Officers brought the bird back to the shelter, where it received treatment.
