When Ribbles’ family placed her on a railway in Southern California, the 1-year-old puppy had two options: She could stay on the busy tracks where she last saw her people or wander off and try to find them. Though the brave pup had to completely fend for herself, she was hopeful her family would come back for her.
So, she sat and waited.
Thankfully, a Good Samaritan spotted the scared pup dodging a fast-moving train and knew she had to help.
“She tried to catch her, but the dog was way too skittish,” Suzette Hall, founder of Logan’s Legacy rescue, told The Dodo. “That’s when she called me for help.”
When Hall got to the scene, the pup was exactly where the helpful citizen spotted her, and it wasn’t safe.
“The train must’ve come five times while I was there,” Hall said. “Every time it came, she would run into that little hole.”
Hall eventually figured out that the hole led to a nearby car dealership. Staff members at the dealership told her that they left food out for Ribbles and allowed her to sleep there at night.
Hall asked if she could place a trap on the dealership’s property and, to her surprise, they said yes. Without skipping a beat, she set up her trap and turned toward the dog to reassure her.
“I put her food down and started talking to her,” Hall said. “I said to her, ‘This is where your food is tonight.’”
But Ribbles refused to go in the trap with Hall close by. So the rescuer left and returned in the morning only to find something resembling Ribbles on the tracks.
“I thought it was her again,” Hall said. “But it was a pack of coyotes scavenging for food.”
Frightened for the pup, Hall headed towards the trap. To her relief, Ribbles was safely inside, allowing Hall to get Ribbles and bring her to the vet.
“I’m working on finding her a foster family because she needs a home to decompress,” Hall said. “That’s the most important thing right now.”
As she continues to look for the perfect foster home for Ribbles, Hall can’t stop thinking about how brave the small pup actually is.
“From the trains to the coyotes, she somehow knew what to do to stay safe,” Hall said. “She’s a total survivor.”
