As the operator slammed on the brakes, the train was unable to stop in time and the dog was hit. Surprisingly, he got up.
CONNECTICUT, USA – An Uncasville dog is lucky to be alive after being hit by a train last week. The 12-year-old pit bull, named Dusta, strayed a mile from his home after his tether in the garden snapped.
Owner Keisha Everett tried her best to find him, until they got a call the next day.
“They were saying we found your dog and I was like, ‘Oh my God. Yay!’ And they were like, ‘but he got hit by a train,’ so my heart just sank. I was crying,” she said.
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Waterford-East Lyme Animal Control said his tether got tangled in train tracks. As the operator slammed on the brakes, the train was unable to stop in time and Dusta was hit. Surprisingly, the dog got up. Animal control rushed him to the vet where he had surgery.
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“The bone that connects your lower jaw here, he broke it so they put a wire in,” she said. “He has staples in the top of your head.”
A week later, the scratches are still there, but Dusta is in good spirits. The family expects Dusta’s vet bills to be over $4,000.
“He went through all that. He’s 12, so he’s older,” she added. “But then he came home from his surgery, still in his normal state.”
He was originally his father’s dog, but Everett took him in about a year ago.
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“We grew up with him,” she said. “He’s always been the nicest dog and that hasn’t changed him at all.”
Everett is grateful for the help of the train engineer and the train driver, who found Dusta alive and kept him company.
“He went out and stayed with our dog until animal control arrived,” she said. “I don’t blame him at all. He was the nicest guy ever.
Animal Control reminds families with metal tether systems to check for cracked plastic or rust, which can cause weak spots.
As for Everett and his family, they are happy to find Dusta.
“It’s amazing, everyone keeps saying he’s the luckiest dog, but I feel like we’re the luckiest family,” she said.
Dusta will have to go back there to get treatment from the vet. Her family set up a GoFundMe account to help with some of those payments.
GoFundMe link: https://gofund.me/431254c0
Elisha Machado is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at emachado@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and instagram.
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