Blaine Dog Who Survived Being Hit By Train Dies After Surgery
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- UPDATE: Chase, the dog from Blaine who survived being hit by a train this past weekend, passed away Tuesday evening after surgery due to a possible brain clot, according to his owners.
It's not unusual for Chase, a Labrador mix that just turned one in March, to be at the center of the Rogers family's adoration.
Since they got him last year, they've thoroughly documented their adoration.
"He loves physical contact with people," owner Mark Rogers said.
And physical activity: The pair went running together Sunday along the Fridley rail-line.
Rogers let Chase off leash as he picked up some litter.
"I heard him barking, and I continued over onto the tracks," Rogers said. "I looked over and I saw him."
Chase was lying underneath a moving train.
"He's laying down flat, head up, barking, trying to get my attention, and I'm like, 'Stay, stay.'"
When the train passed, Rogers realized he had only a short window. Another train was approaching.
"Honestly, when I reached him, I did not look," he said. "I just had to get him out of there."
Rogers and his wife took him to get care in Blaine at BluePearl.
"I don't think I've seen a dog hit by a train," Dr. Andrew Jackson said.
But Jackson devised a plan, amputating Chase's severed leg, then taking him for hip surgery. Skin grafts are next.
"It may be a long time for those to heal but I'm cautiously optimistic," Jackson said.
And so are the Rogers.
"We can't wait to have him home," Rogers's wife, Dawn, said. "But we will be patient and wait until it's the right time."
As you can imagine, the Rogers are facing around $10,000 in medical costs.
If you'd like to help out in Chase's recovery costs, Frankie's Friends, a non-profit organization, has set up a page to assist with the cost of Chase's care.