Dog Pulls Unconscious Owner From Train's Path

SHIRLEY, Mass. -- A pit bull named Lilly is being hailed a hero after she pulled her unconscious owner from the path of a freight train last weekend.

An engineer of a westward-bound freight train saw a dog pulling a woman away from the tracks in the early hours of May 4 in Shirley. The engineer tried to stop, but couldn't avoid hitting the 8-year-old dog.

The woman, identified as Christine Spain, wasn't hurt, but the train's wheels sliced through Lilly's right foot, fractured her pelvis in multiple locations and caused other internal injuries.

When EMTs arrived at the scene, Lilly was covered in blood but still standing guard over her owner, who had collapsed next to the tracks while walking home from a friend’s house.

The dog was initially taken to an emergency animal hospital in Acton, and she was then taken by Spain's son, Boston police Officer David Lanteigne, to Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston.

Lanteigne said he had adopted the dog for his mother three years before, and Lilly's companionship helped curb her drinking.

"Lilly's recovery from this horrific ordeal is my top priority right now and I'll do everything possible to get her back home to us," he said.

Lilly is undergoing extensive treatment at MSPCA-Angell. To make a donation to Lilly's care and treatment, click here.

Source: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/31027600/detail.html