SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah family said their dog was run over by three FrontRunner trains, and the pooch survived thanks to a dog lover who pulled the animal from the tracks.
The dog’s owner David Babcock said Chewie the dog, a Jack Russel terrier, ran through an electric dog fence in his backyard, and he ended up more than a mile away on some train tracks. Babcock said the dog was hit straight on by a train on those tracks, a second train grazed the dog and a third train ran over the top of the animal.
Babcock said a Utah Transit Authority worker who saw the alleged incident tried to stop the trains but couldn’t signal in time to prevent the accidents.
Babcock said Chewie has faced a barrage of medical procedures since then.
He said: “He’s been through a lot of treatments to stabilize him, to get his seizures under control, to patch the fractures in his head, to get is little body strong again. He’s been in and out of an oxygen chamber. [It] seems like a lot to put a little dog through, but he’s like a part of our family.”
The family is asking those who wish to help to consider donating to Salt Lake County Animal Services, which provided free care, or to the Utah Veterinary Center for their efforts to save the dog’s life.
The dog is expected to lose an eye, but his owners said they doubt that will slow Chewie down.
