After being hit by a light rail train, Amtrak is blowing her rescuers away.
Amtrak is a 2-year-old Australian shepherd-pointer mix, who was found bloodied and frightened on the light rail tracks in Aurora, Colorado. Only one week after the accident, she impressed her veterinarian as she recovered and wagged her tail in happiness – something the veterinarian never thought she would do again.
Friday was the six week anniversary of her accident, and Amtrak is still astonishing her rescue team as she dashes around an Aurora backyard. Looking at her, you can hardly tell she had been in such an accident. The only giveaway is some discoloration in her eye.
“I had no idea she was so agile and bouncy,” said Dale Keith, an Aurora Animal Care Division field supervisor. This was his first visit with the dog since he rescued her from the tracks.
The dog had been seen by security officers at the station, running around near the tracks. Amtrak was unable to escape as high fences on either side of the tracks blocked her from escaping. The officers tried to shoo her away, but she quickly turned and collided with an oncoming train.
Keith had been called to the station following the incident. As soon as he learned of the dog who had been hit, he quickly darted over where Amtrak was laying.
“I came to her, and I knew, there is no way she is going to walk out of here,” Keith said.
The dog’s front-right paw had been shredded from the accident. She also suffered from serious injuries to her eye, and her tail had been broken. As Keith, picked up the dog and cradled her in his arms, he walked briskly to the station.
One of the oncoming trains stopped to pick up Keith so that they could get Amtrak to the Aurora Animal Shelter quickly. It was here that she was given her name, Amtrak.
So far, no one has claimed the dog. While she is recovering, she will stay in foster care until she is ready to be adopted into her forever home.
“If you asked me that first day how she was going to do, I would have given a pretty bad prognosis,” said shelter veterinarian Nicole Bartley.
Bartley had reconstructed Amtrak’s paw by sewing together what was left of the pads. Amtrak also had injuries to her head, eye and bottom. In addition, several of her teeth were shattered.
“I can’t believe she’s made this kind of recovery,” Bartley said. “She’s going to be a wonderful companion.”
