Dog catches two trains in search of owner

A dog which had been left at home when his owner went on holiday decided to set off on in search of her - by catching the train 31 miles to Stansted Airport. Diesel, a Staffordshire bull terrier, was being looked after by a friend of his owner when he disappeared during an evening walk in Tottenham, North London.

Nothing was seen of the one-year-old dog until the following day when CCTV cameras picked him up travelling - on his own - on the Stansted Express rail service. Shocked security staff collared Diesel as he hopped off the train at the airport and started making his way towards the terminal building.

Animal wardens kept Diesel - who had no collar or passport - overnight before using the microchip in his neck to reunite him with his relieved owner Sarah Chapman, 29. To reach Stansted, the intrepid pet had to board two trains and walk a mile between stations.



Miss Chapman, of Tottenham, had been on a four-day visit to see her mother in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, at the time and described her pet's escapade as a "mystery". She said: "He's never done anything like this before. He's never even been on a train before. How his collar came off is a mystery. I always spend a lot of time with him so I think he probably came looking for me.

"He has come with me to Clacton in the car before and we pass through Stansted on the way. It sounds funny but maybe he was coming to see where I was."

It is believed that Diesel caught an overground train from White Hart Lane to Seven Sisters two and half miles away, before scampering a mile to Tottenham Hale station. From there the Stansted Express train would have taken him straight to the airport in 35 minutes. Miss Chapman, an unemployed administrator, said she had been impressed with Diesel's navigation skills.