When I clicked on the video, I immediately clicked it off. I didn’t want to see the dog run over.
For those of you who haven’t watched the video, the dog escapes. That would be one tired pooch. I hope he/she could find the way back home.
The dog didn’t get run over. It just ran and ran and ran of into the woods off the right side of the tracks. 2 guys get out the train or whatever type of unit it is at the 2:37 mark in the video and they run down the track, also, to try and catch the dog. I think this is a hilarious video. Watch the whole video and you’ll be amused, because I was.
When the two guys were running along the track, I no longer saw the dog. If he escaped along the side of the track, why did those two idiots keep running?
I think that the most amusing part of this might by the yakkity-sax music.
Reminds me of an incident related by a short-line engineer. Seems they were cruising down the line in their snowplow-equipped locomotive on the “out” part of an out-and-back run. Dog comes out to the tracks, barking his head off. Gets up on the track. Gets caught by the snowplow and is tossed out of the way, apparently none the worse for wear.
In fact, he couldn’t have been hurt too bad, because he did exactly the same thing (with the same result) on their way back…
Looking at the ballast along the right of way…that is not a fit place for man or beast to run unless one is looking to turn an ankle.
Congrats to the dog and his endurance.
Well, I don’t find it amusing. That’s a terrified animal running for its life and I don’t see humor in that.
I’ve worked in kennels at Greyhound tracks. I’ve picked up dogs after a race. (It’s a whole process, but I had control of the Greyhound less than minutes after the race.)
I handled trained and conditioned canine atheletes after a 31 second race. We walked 'em out to cool 'em down, made sure they got a good drink of water, cleaned their feet and eyes, and gave 'em more water. Then we sat them down to rest. After that they went back to the kennel where they were placed in a pen with more water. After time in the pen they were fed a large, nutritious meal.
This poor pooch got none of that. And he/she ran for a lot more than 31 seconds. The dog is the video is exhausted, his/her paws are sore if not injured making it painful to move, and it may be dehydrated. I don’t know how it will fare in the woods or if it can find its way home. I don’t know if it can get to water.
I’m glad the train crew didn’t run over the dog. And trying to catch it was the right thing to do. But this just isn’t amusing to me.
Did anyone else notice that after Ken posted his response (just before this post) the rating of this thread jumped by two stars?
Thanks, Ken, for your insight–you found what I was desperately searching for.
That poor dog was obviously scared and confused on where to run for safety, did you notice the tight right of way? I didn’t notice the crew laughing, if anything they did everything in their power not to harm that dog and then tried to help it. I am sorry you found it amusing, would it be amusing if you were in the place of the dog?
Good response Ken, I worked at a state penitentiary where we allowed inmates to adopt and rehabilitate Greyhounds. They are great dogs, nothing like I expected them to be.
(Earlier I misquoted the intent of “greyhounds” post, I appologize for that. I brought up the wrong post and thanks for bringing it to my attention.)
We haven’t heard anything from the crews that have to operate trains through livestock and wild animals that get on the track, but I did hear stories from someone that did and he said almost all animals will run down the track and will finally be run over, rather than running off the track.
So until they stopped the engine, the dog was doing what evidently is common in the world of animals.
If the engine stopped, so 2 silly fools could chase the dog, why didn’t the engine just stop, and let the dog run until he was tired. Once the dog was tired enough to stop, wouldn’t he get off the tracks and hide in a safe place? What were those guys planning to do, if they caught up with the dog anyway?
You might wish to modify your posting; greyhounds did NOT say he was amused–in fact, he said exactly the opposite.
Otherwise, I agree.
Working around the suburban Chicago area, I’ve frequently been in similar situations while on the train, and unfortunately most of the time the dogs DO NOT survive (due to the speed of the train). It is a very sickening feeling to sit helpless as some poor creature runs for it’s life in front of you, all the time slowly losing speed until it disappears from view and then you feel a barely-perceptable thump, and you know it did not make it.
As to WHY the dogs between the rails just don’t walk 4’ to either side of the rails is a mystery to me. The poor critters will, once aware of the trains approach, turn and run in the opposite direction for as long as they can. My theory is the sound of the approaching train is transmitted through the rails towards the animal, so it percieves the threat to be all around it, rather than from only one direction.
Other critter (possums, racoons, skunks, etc) seem to dumb to move, and just sit there until you hit them.
The only animal I never hit in my twenty years is a cat. They bolt to the side long before the train gets to them (I think they stick t
Why would the dog get off the tracks? If the train wasn’t “chassing” it, the dog would perceive the tracks as “safe”. They don’t know or understand this stuff. It may have left the tracks. It may not have left the tracks. It’s a dog. They don’t think like people.
The best thing to do for the dog was to get control of it. That’s what they were aparently trying to do. I don’t regard trying to help a dog as “foolish”. As to what they would have done with it, it’s simple. If it’s got a collar with an ID tag you contact the owner, tell him/her you’ve got the dog and ask them to come get it. If it has no ID you can turn it over to animal control. They’ll hold it for a while to see if someone claims it. After that, they’ll try to get someone to take it as a pet. If that doesn’t work they’ll have to put it down. But they’ll put it down in a humane manner that causes no fear, pain, or suffering. It’s not the greatest outcome, but it beats the outcome of a lost, homeless dog starving to death.
'Course, when they turn it over to animal control they could say: “If no one claims him/her, I’ll take the dog.” That would be nice.
greyhounds- I see your point about the dog staying on the tracks because of the perceived safety of the tracks. I say “foolish” in relation to the men who ran after the dog, because what they did appears to be illogical. Watching the video, it appears the train was not going very fast, and was able to stop in a short distance. Why jump off the train, and chase a dog that was going full speed? Even if the train had simply slowed down, they would have still gained on the dog. They could have gotten out after the dog had tired. Another poster mentioned that the men ran the risk of turning ankle, running down the uneven ballast. That seems a little foolish to me.
Back to the dog: He did, in fact, appear to leave the tracks, and head into the woods. He seems to be gone, by the time the 2 men caught up with him. As scared as the dog was from the locomotive, it seems to me, he would have been equally scared of 2 strangers chasing him. I can picture the first guy to try grabbing him coming away with dog bites and some rabies shots in his future
I didn’t think the dog running was amusing. I thought the 2 guys chasing it was. I think it was unecessary to chase the dog on foot.
You are correct and I appologize for the oversite, thanks for bringing it to my attention. I did correct my earlier post.[#oops]
As to WHY the dogs between the rails just don’t walk 4’ to either side of the rails is a mystery to me. The poor critters will, once aware of the trains approach, turn and run in the opposite direction for as long as they can. My theory is the sound of the approaching train is transmitted through the rails towards the animal, so it percieves the threat to be all around it, rather than from only one direction.
Other critter (possums, racoons, skunks, etc) seem to dumb to move, and just sit there until you hit them. I see quite a few possums and skunks that have been hit on the tracks, porcupines too. Also more than a few deer…you’d think they’d be more alert
The only animal I never hit in my twenty years is a cat. They bolt to the side long before the train gets to them (I think they stick their tongue out at the train as it passes) Ya know it’s odd, there’s this certain farmhouse on my section where I always see cats around, on the track, near the track, hunting mice or whatever. One day found cat on the track in a few pieces, being a nice guy I go to the house and 'Sorry to have to tell you this, but I think maybe your cat is now deceased. Large woman with an apparent aversion to dentistry says The gray one? Yup. Yeah, thats the kids cat, I’ll tell em to clean it up… Weeks later, I cleaned up what was left. That was the first of 5, so far, within maybe 100 yards of the house. And no, I don’t bother asking anymore…I’m sure their water pipes are made of lead.
I’ve hit quite a few cats. Even hit one Bobcat! Now I never would have believed that would happen.
I have yet to hit a Coyote. Almost put one on the trophy wall, But, even running 45mph right smack on his butt, the darn thing was smart enough to get bail out of the gauge a moment before he was mincemeat. RATS!!!
I hate to hit dogs. Beagles are probably the worst for getting in the gauge. Especially when their owner/hunters are right with them. I have also seen dogs smart enough to lay down in the gauge, let the train pass over them, then take off running in the opposite direction. This doesn’t happen often enough though.
Well hello peeps, i was checking out my youtube videos and couldnt help realising that one of them proved very popular. Using discovery and then external links it told me that half my views came from this site, so i tracked down the thread that’s caused it to get over 200 views lol! So yes i am the maker of the video. It was New Years day 2009 out in Africa along the coast where i stayed with my family. The next morning we had booked a tour on their local trains up into the mountains and found what appeared to be a dog running on the tracks. It was a great a surprise but according to the train conductor happens frequently when there are fireworks and the pets run away from home and get lost on the tracks.
I was sat at the front of the train by coincidence and just by luck i thought it would be humorous to catch it on film with the yakity yak music, it was in no harm because the train was a local train so its speed was always slow. Even the train conduction got out and tried chasing it but to no evail, baring in mind she was mid 40s and chubby so she wasnt going to get far. We were even connected to two carriages behind us so even they were curious about the whole fiasco.
So when we stopped the train for 5 minutes and then carried on the stupid dog was still running for its life so eventually my brother(the guy on the right) and some other stranger on board got out and tried chasing it but they had sandels on so again it was useless and by the time we see them stop on the tracks its because the dog did indeed get away. Really i should have been out there with them chasing the stupid dog as i had proper trainers on but as mentioned i wouldnt have wanted to get rabies!
Well hope that answers everyones queries 
just watched the video again in so long, my brother is the guy on the left, my bad lol
[:D]