A dog was returned to his owner last week after he got lost on some train tracks in New York.
Sampson, an 8-year-old English bulldog, ran off from his owner, Mike Francow, on Tuesday. Francow was eating lunch in an East Hampton, New York, park and assumed Sampson would come back quickly, the New York Post reported Friday.
“He’s the type of dog that always returns,” Francow told the Post. “He would usually come back to my van.”
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However, Francow’s lunch break ended before Sampson returned, and Francow had to get back to work, the newspaper reported.
Sampson, an 8-year-old English bulldog ran off from his owner, Mike Francow, last week and was found near some train tracks.
(MTA)
It turns out, Sampson had gone to the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) tracks near the Southampton station. That’s where LIRR engineer Christian Beck saw Sampson just after noon, according to the Post.
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“As a dog lover, it’s like my worst fear to hit a dog,” Beck told the Post. “Luckily it was a section of track where the max speed you can go is only like 40 miles an hour. It was enough time to react and slow the train.”
A Long Island Rail Road engineer saw Sampson near the Southampton station and brought the dog onto the train.
(MTA)
Beck got off the train, along with assistant conductor Vinny Fragale, and the two brought Sampson on board. They gave the pooch some water and continued on their way to Montauk, according to the Post.
“He followed me around the whole day,” Fragale told the newspaper. “When I was on the couch in the breakroom, he actually took a nap right in front of me. He just hung out.”
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After they arrived at Montauk, conductor Mike Stabile posted pictures of Sampson online in search of his owner. Within 20 minutes, Francow’s co-worker sent him the post and he got in touch with the crew, the Post reported.
Sampson was finally reunited with his owner, Mike Francow, after LIRR crew members posted pictures of the pooch online.
“He loves to ride, so I’m sure when the train pulled up and they opened the door he was like, ‘Sure, this is great,’” Francow told the newspaper.
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Francow and Sampson were reunited a few hours later when the train arrived back at Bridgehampton, the Post reported. According to the newspaper, Francow plans on putting a tag on Sampson so he won’t get lost again.
“Those are some really special people to do that and take care of him,” Francow told the Post.
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In a statement provided to Fox News, LIRR President Phil Eng praised the crew that rescued Sampson
“This act of heroism is another example of how our workforce is truly part of the community where they live and serve,” Eng said. “Our conductors and engineers and other frontline workers are truly compassionate people who take pride in helping their Long Island neighbors.”
“As a dog owner myself I am glad that our crew went above and beyond to rescue Sampson and connect him with his owner,” Eng added. “I look forward to providing a commendation for all of these employees and working with our labor leaders to acknowledge the true spirit of the workforce.”
