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.
Officers went inside the tunnel to rescue Roo Instagram/sfanimalcareandcontrol
Train operators first thought he was dead Instagram/sfanimalcareandcontrol
A driver saw Roo move the second day Instagram/sfanimalcareandcontrol
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.
The 2-year-old Pitbull mix was reunited with his owner Instagram/sfanimalcareandcontrol
San Francisco Animal Care & Control on 1419 Bryant Street Google
“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.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!
California Post App: Download here!
Home delivery: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!