Death on the Railways; our first campaign

Why?

Poor little Doris, and Lily and Lucy, were all found deceased on the railway tracks, very close to where they were enjoying carefree dog walks in popular off-lead walking areas.

All three were victims of the electric rail, not the first, or the last. We want to stop it from happening. In each case, holes were found in nearby railway fencing. Network Rail is legally responsible for their fences, but they can’t and don’t check them all the time; imagine the miles of track they’d have to cover, daily. Dogs are attracted to smells on the lines; probably from other wildlife that’s died up there as they looked for sanctuary from humans. It’s easy and understandable to be unaware.

What can we do?

·      Keep our dogs safer close to railways. Keep a closer eye, or a lead, on them at certain points.

·      Report all holes to Network Rail. Keep pestering! They are busy. You will get a reply and reference number. They probably won’t get to it quickly, though in Lily and Lucy’s case they came immediately to mend a fallen piece of fencing. Send photos and accurate locations, e.g. What3Words.

·      Safe Paws Network is working with local councillors and other agencies to try and get signage placed in key areas. If this is an issue in your area, go to https://www.writetothem.com/ We have had success ‘pestering’ Network Rail about the spot we believe Doris got through, and they have reduced the gap under an access gate and put up signage right along that stretch of railway fencing. We still want more strategically placed information in local parks, and won’t stop until it happens.

·      Find your councillors, and those representing the area of concern. Start the ball rolling. Talk to them about CIL funding and about the budgets that might be available to Parks or Green Spaces departments.

·      To report a missing dog potentially on or near the railway, contact Network Rail's emergency 24-hour helpline at 03457 11 41 41 or the British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40. 

·      To report holes in railway fencing or other dangers: https://communications-crm.custhelp.com/?overlay=FormSelect/track/AvPlwQpqDv8S~botGuce~yJnCuUqSC75Mv~F~zj~PP8M

·      To determine where railway tracks are where you’re walking, go to Eye in the Sky’s Railway Locator map here https://www.eyeinskydrones.com/railwaylocations

Our first campaign 'win'.

The gate Doris got under that fateful day

It’s not a celebration, because we can’t forget the poor dogs that have fallen victim to the electric rails, accessed by holes in fencing, in areas where dogs are expected to be safe off lead. We remember dear little Doris, our founding inspiration, Lily and Lucy and many others. 

But as hard as it can be to make meaningful contact with huge organisations like Network Rail, it can pay off, with persistence. 

After Doris was found on the lines, our team contacted Network Rail’s incident team to tell them about the holes under the access gate and in the fencing which Doris clearly used to get through. We got responses right away, and were assured twice that work was imminent. Nothing happened. Clearly lines of communication were getting broken and confused.

Then our lovely Dannie sent a really impassioned message to them, talking about Doris and her tragedy. This hit a nerve where earlier messages clearly hadn’t done, which this time did result in things happening. The gap under the fence was sorted out, and today on our walk, we saw 7 new signs along the whole stretch, warning dog walkers to use a lead by the railway. 

It’s a good start. We are also working closely with a number local councillors, from various angles, to get message boards put up carrying information about the railway, our ‘What to do’ information and our paw-shaped QR code. 

We’re keeping a record of our campaigning work so that it can be passed on as a ‘how to’ to people in other areas who feel the need to run similar campaigns. 

It won't end until every dog is safe, always.

KEEP THEM SAFE - BRING THEM HOME - EVERY SINGLE TIME