TJ, an American Eskimo

Ouch! This dog had an unusual problem -- in how he was trapped in a spot and couldn't move. If a dog is trapped by something, it can be the reason it's never seen again -- depending on where it was trapped and what people encounter the trapped dog. This was one lucky dog. This story is also VERY unusual in that the identification was made via the dog's tattoo. Tattooing is well on the way out, has been for a long time, what with microchipping. Honestly I think it's a shame that this is true. Nothing wrong with extra protection.

Dr. Maria Just from the the 24 Hr. Animal Care Centre in Regina treats T.J.

Regina family’s missing dog found on train tracks
By Annie McLeod, Leader-Post
January 19, 2009


REGINA -- After being lost in the harsh winter weather for two weeks, a Regina family’s dog has been found, but is still fighting for survival.

On Sunday morning, the Regina Humane Society (RHS) received a call on their 24-hour emergency line from CP Rail employees who had found an injured dog lying on the train tracks near MacRae Bay in northeast Regina.

Gail MacMillan, director of development at the RHS, said an emergency personnel worker sent to the scene found a two-year-old American Eskimo lying between the train tracks. The dog’s tail was frozen to the tracks, making him immobile.
“We don’t believe he was injured, but he was frozen in and (the emergency worker) literally had to chisel him out,” she said.

MacMillan said the dog likely went to the location, laid down and had given up, causing his body heat to melt the ice and snow between the tracks. With the low temperatures recorded last week, the melted snow would have frozen again, trapping the dog in ice.

While it’s unknown how long he was lying there, the dog’s position could have helped him survive, yet also caused him trauma.

“He could have been run over numerous times by a train and it would never have injured him,” said MacMillan.

The dog — suffering from dehydration, starvation and frostbite on his legs and underside — was brought back to the RHS where he was assessed and immediately put into veterinary care.

“He had a tattoo in his ear, and through that, we checked our lost records and found that there had been a lost report made on Jan. 5,” said MacMillan.

Meanwhile it had been two weeks since Brad McDonald and his family had last seen their dog T.J.
On the morning of Jan. 5, T.J. was in the yard while the family’s three children waited for their school buses. When McDonald’s son Jarvis, 18, got on the bus, T.J. ran after it.

By the time McDonald’s fiancee was able to gather the kids to go search for T.J., he had run around the corner of the street and was gone.

From there, McDonald called the RHS and reported T.J. lost, and then the family spent the day and night searching for the dog.

“My son Jarvis and his friends spent the whole night wandering around the neighbourhood calling and looking for him, but we couldn’t find him,” he said.

The family continued to search for T.J., putting up flyers, calling the RHS daily, and going there to see if he had been found.

On Sunday morning, they received a call from the RHS telling them T.J. was found frozen to the railway tracks. When McDonald heard the news, he expected T.J. to be dead. Even though the dog was in rough shape, it was welcome news to hear he was alive.

“I couldn’t get out of the house fast enough to go down to the vet to see how he was,” said McDonald.
While T.J.’s fate is still unclear, his condition has improved since Sunday and the family is optimistic. On Monday he was in stable condition and progressing.

MacMillan said that the family did everything right in this situation. T.J. was reported missing to the RHS immediately and had tattoo identification.

“That is their ticket home and their ticket to veterinary care as well,” she said. “It’s lifesaving for these animals to be licensed, tattooed and wearing identification.”

Jarvis, who was given T.J. as a puppy, said the dog is his world and he’s thankful that he’s alive. “He prefers me over anybody,” he said. “Now that we found out today that he’s doing a lot better, I’m happy.”


Source: http://www.leaderpost.com/Travel/Regina+family+missing+found+train+tracks/1195231/story.html
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