The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
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R.o.B.S. A. Puppy rescued from top of train gets new home COLUMBIA, S.C. — Four firefighters in a South Caroli- na town plucked a frightened black lab puppy from the top of a double-decker freight train car and delivered her to a new, loving home. "We don't know how long she was up there," Liberty assistant fire chief Chris Row- land said Tuesday. "She was scared. She was ready to come down." Rowland's team of four firefighters was called Sunday evening after Tina Parker of nearby Pickens spotted the pup while she and her family were stopped at a red light and saw the train pass by. Parker said she saw what she thought was trash on the top of the train, but then it started moving and she real- ized it was a small dog. "There's no question it was a puppy," Parker said. She called 911 and fol- lowed the train to Liberty about six miles away. A Norfolk Southern spokes- woman said they stopped the train, which was going about 50 mph while traveling from Pennsylvania to Atlanta. The family helped firefight- ers find the car and firefight- er Derek Sargeant scam- pered up a 24-foot extension ladder to get on top of the double-stacked containers. "We don't know how she survived up there," Rowland said. It's hard to tell what's true these days. Take a gander below, and guess if A. and B. are Real or B.S. (Answers at the bottom of the page.) Dead body reported B. on Halloween MUNCIE, Ind. — Police in Muncie, Indiana, were expecting a report of a dead body on Halloween this year. And they weren't disappointed. In fact, the department fielded at least five calls, reporting a dead body on the side lawn of a home in a quiet residential area of the city. But no police officers visited the seemingly vacant home, and no investigation has been launched. Why not? "We get this Raymond Clark ex- The Parkers named the dog Boxcar Hunter, or Boxy for short. They made an appointment with the veterinarian to have the dog checked, but Parker said it seems healthy and happy to be off the train. She has two other dogs and the new pup is getting used to her new surroundings. Parker said no one knows who put the dog atop the train. Rowland said the effort was a difficult one, given where the car stopped and how the firefighters had to maneuver to get the ladder in place alongside the tracks. But he said it was a good thing for all involved. "We've rescued a cat here and there, but we've never had to get a dog off the top of a train," he said. used to it by now." Turns out the puts on a pretty their Halloween So good that it number of passers- police each year they think is a the department fielded at least five calls, re- porting a dead body on the side lawn of a home in a quiet resi- dential area of the city. otherwise normal-looking yard. "The first year, we sent out detectives, forensics, the whole nine yards," explained Clark, a 10-year veteran of the force. "Now we just reassure people that it's fake, that there's no dead body, and try to calm them down." Has the police department considered asking the Jensens to tone down their gory dis- play? "No, nothing like that," Clark said. "It's Halloween. It's harmless fun." essom the Associated Pre fr.S., written by Emily Popek | Photos ar. is Beal. BA. is r Read and comment on stories online at www.otownscene.com 18 O-Town Scene Nov. 3, 2011 Jensen family good show with decorations. has fooled any by, who call the to report what dead body in an every year," Lt. plained. "We're