Dog which caught train home dies
Matthew Kruk
Dog which caught train home dies
A dog which made headlines around the world after he lost his owner and
caught the right train home has died.
Archie the labrador became separated from owner Mike Taitt in 2005, so
the impatient dog boarded the train at Inverurie in Aberdeenshire.
Archie got off the train when it stopped at Insch and was spotted by a
signalman, who contacted his owner.
Mr Taitt said of Archie's death at the age of 13: "It's very sad. He was
a great friend and a great character."
The story of Archie's solo train journey was retold around the world.
Neither fellow passengers nor railway staff realised that the black
labrador was unaccompanied.
'Didn't have ticket'
The Insch station signalman Derek Hope logged Archie's arrival as
Incident no. 822344: "Unaccompanied doggie gets off train. There was the
train conductor standing with Archie on the platform saying he had got
on at Inverurie and didn't have a ticket."
Mr Taitt said at the time "He is a very intelligent dog. I am sure he
can read a timetable. When he could not find me he took the right train
home. He's been on that train before.
"I am convinced he knew it was the right one. But who knows."
The Scottish SPCA said it could be quite easy to underestimate the
intelligence of animals.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/8375871.stm
Published: 2009/11/24 10:36:34 GMT
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