Train-Surfing Dog Rides 500 Miles atop Coal Car

May 8, 2001 Kamloops, BC, Canada

What is it with terriers and coal, anyway?  Last month, Jenny the Cairn Terrier decided to go spelunking in a coal shaft for 2 weeks (read "Cairn in a Coalmine"), and now we've got a terrier who takes the Canadian Pacific Rail halfway across British Columbia, balancing precariously on a pile of coal the whole way.

A man whose business is adjacent to the CP Rail yard in Kamloops happened to spot the four-and-a-half-pound, blackened furball on a westbound train last week.

The man immediately phoned railway police, who were able to rescue the pooch without incident and take her to the Kamloops SPCA, where after a thorough examination, it was determined that she was absolutely filthy.

Beyond that, the medical prognosis wasn't a whole lot better.  SPCA director Kerri Sundstrom reported, "Under all the coal dust and matts and disgustingness, it's hard to tell what she is.  She's in very sad shape."

It remains a mystery where "Blacky" (the first thing that came to rescuers' minds) came from, and how on earth she ended up on top of a train.  But CP Rail authorities believe the dog must have been on board since Sparwood, a town on the Alberta side of BC, more than 500 miles of rail to the east of Kamloops where she was finally rescued.

The CP Rail Network, Sparwood-Kamloops in red

According to Ms. Sundstrom, it is possible that the dog jumped from an overpass, but more likely the dog was put on the train by someone from the ground.  The terrier had either been abandoned or not well cared-for, as evinced by her appalling condition.

"Her teeth are almost rotten to the bone," Ms. Sundstrom said last week.

"Blacky" managed to keep her cool atop one of these coal cars as she rode halfway across BC.

But today we got a pleasant surprise.  When The Scoop contacted the Kamloops SPCA to check on how the little parcel was doing, there was nothing but good news.

"We have a waiting list of possible adoptive homes but are waiting until her veterinary care is complete," said Executive Director Jennifer Gore.

"She has survived her ordeal of riding atop a coal car well and is happily living with 3 other small dogs in a temporary foster home."

Apparently in the last week or so, they've been successful at nursing the little vagabond back to health, removing her rotted teeth and getting her again socialized—not to mention, chiseling the layers of black coal off of her coat, to reveal for the first time, a 6 or 7-year-old, fluffy, light-grey Jack Russell Terrier cross.

With the name "Blacky" no longer fitting, the gang thought it nice to rename her "Coaltrain" instead.  "She's now famous," Ms. Gore adds.

Bravo, Coaltrain.  I want to see you riding First Class from now on.

For more information, to express your appreciation, to inquire about their other adoptables or to add yourself to the Coaltrain waiting list, please visit the Kamloops SPCA website, or email kamloops-spca@telus.net

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