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

“[W]here we initially saw him on the tracks was open and right over the river,” Donna Lochmann, SRSL’s director of rescue, told The Dodo. “One wrong step and he could have easily gone.”

Lochmann wanted to run up to the dog, later named Laclede, and get him off the track before the next train came, but area subway employees forbade him from getting on the track for his own safety.

So, he pulled out a tempting treat and began to pull Laclede off the track. Luckily, subway employees alerted the arriving train to Laclede’s presence and the conductor was able to slow down just in time.

“At that moment, a subway train was coming, so [the employees] just radioed them and they made them slow and tried to push him toward us,” Lochmann said.

Everyone joined forces to safely pull Laclede off the track, and after a few painstaking minutes, Lochmann finally slipped a leash over his collar.

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

Lochmann carried Laclede to his Jeep, where he made a makeshift bed for him in 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 heat,” SRSL wrote on Facebook.

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

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

Laclede continued to improve each day and eventually won 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 instantly falls in love,” SRSL wrote. “He’s a big, boisterous, happy boy, but also very kind and affectionate.”

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 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’ve got a loyal, cute, fun boy for life!”

You can inquire about adopting Laclede here.To help pups like Laclede get the care they need, you can donate to Stray Dogs of St. Louis here.