Quick-thinking railway worker hailed as hero after saving dog from train tracks

It’s always inspiring to see people go out of their way to save animals. Everyday people step up to become heroes and save lives.

That was the case recently, when one railway station employee saved a dog who was stuck on the train tracks as a train was approaching.

The story comes from TikTok user @getinthebarth, who shared a video showing the dog helplessly walking around some train tracks at Leagrave railway station, with a train apparently on the way. The dog was unable to get up on its own, and bystanders were unable to help it.

But thankfully, this dog is now safe, thanks to one employee who stepped up to save the day.

According to Newsweek, the man was 56-year-old Paul Hawthorn of Luton, southeast England, a railway worker who stepped up to help.

He told the outlet that he was in the booking hall when someone told him the Stattfordshire bull terrier was on the tracks.

“I was thinking ‘What should I do?’ and then my training kicked in. I rang the signalman to caution the trains, getting them to slow down ready to stop if necessary,” he told Newsweek.

Thankfully, he quickly came up with a plan: luring the dog with food. He went to the station’s coffee vendor and got some croissants, luring the dog to the edge of the platform, where he was able to lift the dog up.

@getinthebarth People dump dogs at stations like this all the time 💔 for every evil person there is a kind hearted one #hero #doglove #rescue ♬ Arcade – Duncan Laurence

While the TikTok user implied that the dog was abandoned, saying that many owners ditch their pets at railway stations, according to Newsweek the dog had simply run off from home after a garage door was left open.

Hawthorn called it a “lovely dog,” and held it in the station’s mess room until it could be reunited with its owners.

The video has now been viewed over 5.6 million times on TikTok, and Hawthorn was praised for his heroic actions.

“For every evil person there is a kind hearted one,” the uploader wrote. “[Heroes] like this man exist.”