Saving a Dog on Track Whilst Train is Coming

Occurred on October 17, 2022 / Leagrave Station

: "On Monday the 17th of October I was waiting for my usual train. This is where I saw a grey Staffy on the tracks. The dog was running around in distress and looking up at the platform. The 7.08 train was literally minutes away from arriving. Two station staff were on the scene quickly and Paul Hawthorne, 57, the train officer, and Hero in the video called the train driver to inform them that there was a dog on the track. The coffee shop man even tried to entice the dog with some food but the dog couldn’t jump up because the platform was just too high! I filmed this distressing moment whilst they were trying to get the dog off the track but continued to fail as they tried many things such as using a coffee A frame as a slip for the dog to jump up onto. After many attempts, time was against the Staffy. Paul reacted and quickly reached down to the tracks and grabbed the staffy, holding its front legs and pulling it up. The dog seemed relieved to be pulled up and warmed to Paul’s as Paul held onto the dog. He sat on the floor for several moments in relief and out of breath and held onto the staff to avoid the dog potentially wriggling free. Two other assistants pulled Paul to his feet whilst he still had a hold of the dog. The dog remained calm with Paul and didn’t bite or get agitated and instead was licking Paul’s face in thanks. The dog was then taken to the office in the warmth. It was heroic to have witnessed the highlights. Heroes don’t always wear capes. The train then passed and we all thought what a relief - you could see it on everybody's face. I got on the train and then began to upload my video to TikTok.