A TikTok video depicting a railway worker rescuing a puppy from the tracks of an oncoming train has gone viral with 6.5 million views.
Onlookers suspected the beautiful blue Staffordshire Terrier had been abandoned at the station, although it was later revealed that it had fled the house through an open garage door.
A hero emerges every day
Paul Hawthorn, 56, was working in the ticket office of Leagrave Station, England at around 7am on October 17 when he heard a puppy frantically running around the platform of a train bound for London. . The pooch was detained by a commuter but was released when the woman left to catch her train.
When Hawthorn arrived at the platform, the overwhelmed puppy once again caused harm.
“Then my worst fear was realized when it jumped off the tracks,” Hawthorn said Newsweek. “I was thinking ‘What should I do?’ and then my training started. I ring the signaler to warn the trains, tell them to slow down and be ready to stop if necessary.
“I wasn’t allowed to go down the track but the guy from the platform cafe had some croissants and lured the dog over the edge of the platform. It couldn’t jump back but when it reached up to grab the croissant I managed to grab it and drag it onto the platform.
“I couldn’t let go — it would squirm freely again — so I just held on tight and the two of you came along and pulled me to my feet.”
Happy ending
Video, posted by TikTok user getinthebarth, which doesn’t show the heroic rescue, cuts from the frightened dog on the tracks to a heartwarming scene of Hawthorn embracing the grateful puppy. The selfless man sat on the platform with his happy dog perched on his lap, giving the occasional ‘thank you’ lick.
The clip is captioned:
“People dump their dogs at stations like this all the time. As long as there are evil people, there are good people.”
Hawthorn quickly learns that the dog’s new friend is actually a beloved pet, not another neglected statistic as previously feared. The puppy’s family posted information about her escape online, asking for help bringing her home.
Hawthorn said: “It was quite traumatic. “I don’t own a dog but we help people by letting dogs sit and I just feel sorry for the dog. I thought, ‘Oh my god, it’s going to be run over by a train.’ It’s finally settled, it’s a relief.”
“In the messy room, he was fiddling with my uniform. It’s a lovely dog,” he added.
Thameslink, the railway company that operates trains in Leagrave, told Newsweek:
“Paul is a true Thameslink hero. Train tracks are a dangerous place, and his quick thinking definitely saved this dog’s life.”
Check out the inspirational video below.
@getinthebarth Dogs are dumped at stations like this all the time 💔 there’s a good person for every bad person #hero #doglove #rescue ♬ Video Games – Duncan Laurence
