A villain tying their victim to the railroad tracks as a train approaches might sound like a cliche from an old melodrama, but shockingly it happened recently in real life — and the helpless victim was a dog.
Thankfully, one couple saved the dog before it was too late — and are now trying to find the person responsible.
Over the weekend, Dan Winkelman, of Enoree, South Carolina, was in his driveway when he heard a dog frantically barking, according to WSPA.
He realized the barking was coming from the nearby railroad tracks, and walked into the woods to investigate. He was shocked to discover the source of the barking: a dog, tied up to the railroad tracks.
There were no other people in sight, but it was clear that the dog was left there intentionally — to be killed by an oncoming train.
“There’s no mistaking it. The dog did not just get it wound up there,” Dan told WSPA. “Those were human-tied knots. And I tried to untie it, but they were pulled so tight that I couldn’t get them undone.”
He got the dog untied, just in time: 30 minutes later, and an oncoming train would’ve run the dog over. He took the dog home to his wife, Jennifer, and they were both rattled by the shocking story happening in their own neighborhood.
“I wished we could find the person right then,” Jennifer said.
The couple own four dogs already, and couldn’t adopt the abandoned dog themselves, so they sought help from local shelters.
The dog was eventually taken in by local nonprofit animal shelter Operation CARE. They said that while they were full to capacity, they couldn’t turn the dog away after such sad circumstances, saying his story made them lose “faith in humanity.”
“This boy was no doubt saved from a horrendous death!” the shelter wrote on Facebook. They named the dog Max, and even though his former owner apparently left him for dead, they found he was a kind, sweet dog: “He is just a big goofy and sweet boy who thinks he is a lap baby!”
Max will be put up for adoption after he receives vet work. In the meantime, the search is on for the cuplrit who nearly killed this poor dog.
“I can’t imagine why someone would do something so awful to a poor animal,” Operation CARE wrote. “Whoever did this, just know…you will have to answer to someone one day for your actions!”
Spartanburg Animal Control is reportedly investigating the case. They hope that someone in the small town will be able to produce a lead.
“Enoree is a nice small community and folks know folks,” Jamie Nelson, Director of Environmental Enforcement for Spartanburg County, told WSPA. “So they probably got a good idea of whos dog that belonged to.”
What a shocking story. We can’t believe anyone would do this, but we’re glad that Max is safe now. We hope he finds a good, loving home soon, and that the person who tied him up is found!
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