A frightened dog has been reunited with her family after a dramatic rescue which began when she was spotted close to railway tracks in Harrow.
The alarm was raised in the Harrow Online Facebook Group after a member posted: “Lost Dog! By Harrow High School railway bridge.
“I cant seem to get her to come to me.”
The post was seen by Hope Harrington, who runs Hopeful Small Animal Rescue, and she and her partner headed out to try to help.
Rescue turns into chase through Harrow
Hope said the rescue quickly became one of the most challenging they had dealt with.
She said: “Yesterday turned into one of the biggest and most challenging rescues we’ve ever been involved in.”
After initially trying to secure the dog in a crate, the frightened animal became spooked and ran off, heading into traffic.
Hope said the dog then began running across a busy roundabout near Northwick Park Hospital, with her partner chasing after her in an effort to keep her in sight.
The pursuit eventually continued for around a mile to a building site behind the hospital.
Hope stayed behind temporarily to help stop traffic before following, with a member of the public even giving her a lift on a motorbike so she could catch up.
Dog finally brought to safety
The dog eventually cornered herself inside the building site, where the rescuers managed to get a makeshift slip lead around her and lift her to safety.
Hope said: “She eventually cornered herself in a building site, and together we managed to get a make shift slip lead around her neck and lift her to safety, despite her being completely terrified.”
The dog’s microchip was then scanned, although tracing its details proved difficult because it was registered with a lesser-known company.
The team contacted the dog warden, who was able to trace the owner within an hour.
Hope added: “The best news of all, she’s now safely back home with her family.”
She also thanked members of the public, TfL workers and others who helped during the rescue.
“This rescue couldn’t have happened without true teamwork, determination, and the kindness of complete strangers. To everyone who stopped, pointed us in the right direction, gave lifts, or offered help, thank you. Your kindness truly made a difference.”
The original poster later confirmed in the Harrow Online Group: “Thank you so much. After 4 hours the pooch is safe.”
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Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
Harrow Online reaches hundreds of thousands of readers each month and has a social media audience of more than 200,000 followers.
For news tips, press releases or enquiries, contact Chris at info@harrowonline.org.
