Dog hit by commuter rail train with severed leg looking for new home
An animal welfare group says a dog that was struck by commuter train last week is in need of a new home.
Charlie is recovering at a foster home.
The 1-year-old shih-tzu mix was rushed to the MSPCA’s Angell Animal Medical Center on Sept. 15 after a worker performing maintenance on the MBTA’s commuter line found the pup lying motionless on the tracks between the Forest Hills and Roslindale Village stops.
According to the MSPCA, the dog was in severe shock when she was brought in, had suffered pelvic fractures, and lost almost 40 percent of her total blood volume.
“It’s just astounding this dog survived,” Dr. Virginia Sinnott of Angell’s Emergency and Critical Care Unit said in a statement. “Her left hind leg was severed above the knee—the good Samaritan brought the leg in along with the dog—and the nerves, arteries and veins were severed along with it.”
Sinnott said the dog, since named “Charlie” by MSPCA-Angell staff, would have bled to death within hours had she not been brought in so quickly. Surgery teams had to amputate the remaining part of her leg and performed two blood transfusions for the pup.
The cost for her care, which reached $6,000, was covered by the MSPCA’s Pet Care Assistance program.
Charlie wasn’t wearing any tags, and no one has stepped forward to claim her, according to the MSPCA. The animal rescue agency said the little shih-tzu is now recovering in a foster home.
Anyone interested in adopting Charlie can contact the adoption center at [email protected].
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