It was a frigid January day in St. Louis, Missouri, when staff members from Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL) spotted a stray white dog running along a stretch of active train tracks. The poor pup was clearly in danger — the temperature continued to drop, and the next train was due any minute — but those weren’t the rescuers’ only concerns.

“[T]he spot [where] we initially saw him on the tracks was open and right above the river,” Donna Lochmann, SRSL’s chief life saving officer, told The Dodo. “One wrong step and he could have very easily fallen in.”

Lochmann wanted to run toward the dog, later named Laclede, and pluck him off the track before the next train came, but the metro employees in the area barred her from stepping on the railroad for her own safety.

So, she pulled out an enticing treat and started to lure Laclede off the track. Thankfully, the metro employees alerted the incoming train about Laclede’s presence, and the conductor was able to slow it down just in time.

“There was a metro train coming at the time, so [the employees] just radioed to them and had them slow to a crawl and try to push him towards us,” Lochmann said.

Everyone joined forces to get Laclede safely off the railroad, and after a few painstaking minutes, Lochmann finally slid a leash over his neck.

“He was scared, filthy, so skinny and freezing,” Lochmann said. “The temperatures that day were in single digits, and the wind was so cold … it was nice to finally get him off those tracks.”

Lochmann carried Laclede to her Jeep, where she made a makeshift bed for him on the passenger seat. It wasn’t long before the sweet boy settled in for a much-needed nap.

“The moment he felt the heated seats in Donna’s Jeep, he curled up [into] a ball, soaking up the warmth,” SRSL wrote on Facebook.

Lochmann drove Laclede straight to SRSL’s headquarters, where a loving veterinary team took him in for evaluation. Aside from being skinny and dirty, Laclede was overall healthy. After a refreshing bath and some nourishing meals, the resilient boy finally started to perk up.

“Now he’s bathed, happy, and he has a tail that just won’t quit!” SRSL wrote in a Facebook post.

Laclede continued to improve each day, eventually capturing the hearts of all the volunteers who cared for him. After just a few weeks, Laclede became a staple in the SRSL community.

“Everyone who meets Laclede falls in love instantly,” SRSL wrote. “He’s a big, boisterous, joyful boy, but he is also so gentle and caring.”

Laclede has enjoyed making new friends at SRSL, but he’s still waiting to meet his future forever family. As much as the folks at SRSL love having Laclede around, they can’t wait until he’s adopted. They know that his next chapter will be just as rewarding for Laclede as it will be for his family.

“Man, we love this dog,” SRSL wrote on Facebook. “Just give him a safe place where he can relax and be himself, and you’ll have one loyal, cute, fun boy for life!”