Roo had only recently been adopted when something frightened him and he ran from his new owner in San Francisco.
His person reported him missing and began searching, but Roo had found an exceptionally difficult place to hide: a Caltrain tunnel near 16th and Mississippi streets.
For close to two days, the two-year-old pit bull mix remained huddled against a wall as trains passed nearby.
The first Caltrain operators who spotted the brown-and-white dog saw him lying motionless beside the tracks. He was so still that they feared he had already been struck by a train.
When another operator passed through the tunnel the following day, Roo was still there.
This time, he lifted his head.
Rescuers headed into the tunnel
San Francisco Animal Care and Control officers Bri Borg and Stephanie Pone entered the tunnel with Caltrain staff.
Using the flashlights on their phones, they followed the tracks through the darkness until they found Roo pressed against the tunnel wall.
He was frightened and initially stayed low as the officers approached. After two days surrounded by passing trains, unfamiliar voices were not immediately reassuring.
But the officers moved slowly, slipped a leash around him and helped him to his feet.
Once Roo understood that the people in front of him were there to help, his behavior changed. The dog who had barely moved began walking with the rescue team toward the tunnel entrance.
Soon, Roo was leading the way out.
@sf_acc A dog was in a Caltrain tunnel for 2 days. The first day train operators saw him & thought he was a dead animal. The 2nd day a driver saw ... See more
A microchip completed the rescue
Roo was unsteady after going without food and water, so officers took him to a 24-hour veterinary clinic for an examination.
Despite the danger of spending nearly two days beside active railway tracks, he had not been injured. He was not seriously dehydrated and was cleared to leave the clinic that same day.
Rescuers also scanned Roo for a microchip.
The chip helped confirm his identity and reconnect him with the person who had been searching for him since he disappeared. Roo was soon safely back with his new family.
Caltrain officials said rescuing a living dog from inside one of the agency’s tunnels was highly unusual.
Roo had somehow survived the trains, the darkness and two days without food or water. In the end, the difference between a grim sighting and a happy reunion was one small movement.
Roo lifted his head.
The rescuers handled the rest.
And the microchip made sure he got home.
Sources: San Francisco Animal Care & Control’s official account and rescue video, KQED’s report on Roo’s rescue and reunion and ABC7 Bay Area’s coverage of the Caltrain tunnel rescue.
