The Sunday commute at SEPTA's 63rd and Market station in West Philadelphia turned into an impromptu rescue drama when a dog wound up stranded on top of a support pillar above the elevated tracks. Commuters looked on as transit workers and animal control staff teamed up to safely bring the pup down. She is now in the care of the city's animal shelter.
SEPTA staff joined ACCT to free the dog
According to NBC10 Philadelphia, witnesses said the dog had been running along the Market-Frankford Line tracks before ending up trapped on the elevated pillar. ACCT Philly responded to the scene and, with help from SEPTA personnel, managed to rescue the animal. Shelter staff have named her Dottie and reported that she appeared unharmed after the ordeal.
Not the first time animals get trapped in stations
This is not the 63rd Street stop's first brush with a four-legged emergency. In 2024, SEPTA workers pulled a mother cat and five kittens from inside a station wall, a reminder that transit infrastructure can easily ensnare pets and strays. As KYW Newsradio reported, transit employees have stepped in on multiple occasions to connect found animals with local shelters.
How to report or look for the dog
ACCT Philly's found-dogs page explains how owners can report missing pets and search to see whether the shelter has taken in their animal. Anyone who believes Dottie might be their dog is urged to contact the shelter using the information provided there. NBC10 Philadelphia noted that there was no immediate information about where the dog came from before her rooftop-style misadventure.
