posted August 15, 2004 06:15 PM
A ruff rider!
Lone pup hops train in Bronx, disem-barks with pal in blue
BY KATHLEEN LUCADAMO and LISA L. COLANGELO
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Officers Raymond Cruz and John Santana show off their latest fare-beating collar: a 30-pound stray mutt who hopped No. 2 train by herself in the Bronx yesterday.
She didn't have a MetroCard, but then again, she could scoot under the turnstile without so much as bending down.
And though there's no evidence she had been on the subway before, the Dog Who Rode the No. 2 Train took to the rails yesterday like a savvy lifelong New York straphanger.On a summer's Monday afternoon in the Bronx, she rode her way into the annals of city subway legend - and into the heart of the kindly cop who put an end to her joyride at the 180th St. station.
"She's a beautiful dog," gushed Officer John Santana, who is thinking about adopting her.
The canine's adventure began at the elevated Burke Ave. station around 9:30 a.m., when she scampered aboard a southbound No. 2 train.
Apparently, no one had noticed her entering the station. But even hardened commuters had to look up and smile as the tan mutt wagged her tail and playfully approached riders, charming the crowd.
"People weren't scared," said Santana.
Maybe she was trying to get to the Bronx Zoo. But with no one to ask for directions, she overshot by one station and got off at Bronx Park East, three stops from Burke Ave.
She soon hopped another No.2 to 180th St., where she got off and met Santana and his partner, Officer Raymond Cruz.
"I guess she [was waiting] for an express train or something," Santana quipped.
The duo brought her to New York City Animal Care and Control's Manhattan shelter.
No one is sure where the 30-pound pup came from. She has no collar or identification tags and is in good health, animal control officers said.
Riders along the route had their own ideas of why the pooch hopped the train.
"Maybe it had an appointment somewhere," said Mike Wade, 50, at the Burke Ave. stop. "Who knows what a dog does?"
"She was probably going to see the sights or see an old friend at the Bronx Zoo," mused Sharon Bomzer, a 33-year-old social worker, as she boarded the No. 2.
"Maybe it was trying to get home," offered No. 2 train rider Deborah Meeks, 43.
The dog apparently cast a spell over the 40-year-old Santana, who walked away from the 110th St. shelter with an adoption application in his hand.
"The dog really connected with him," said Liz Keller, supervisor of the shelter.
She will be held for 72 hours to see if an owner comes forward. After that, she will be available for adoption.
Santana said it's not the first time he and Cruz, who work in Transit District 12, have encountered the animal kingdom on the subway.
"We've seen chickens, cats," Santana said. "Once a rat took a train downtown."
Originally published on August 10, 2004
Lindaland
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posted August 15, 2004 06:15 PM
posted August 16, 2004 10:02 AM
