This Old Man With A Train Full Of Rescue Dogs Is Simply Awesome [Video]

An 80-year-old native of Fort Worth Texas has taken up an all new job in his old age as the conductor of the most adorable train ever. Eugene Bostwick may have retired 15 years ago, but he spends his time now helping rescue stray dogs and has built a train for them and they are adorably pictured below.

The accidental dog rescuer says that it was not his intention to live his older years with this responsibility, but fate had another plan for him. The story went viral after a neighbor shared a picture to her Facebook page of Bostwick and his home made mode of transportation to cart his four-legged family members around. Many others shared pictures of the sight too, and this led to an interview by NBC that helped to propel the wonderful story into the spotlight, much like how Eugene was thrust into the work to begin with.

“We live down on a dead-end street, where me and my brother have a horse barn. People sometimes come by and dump dogs out here, leaving them to starve. So, we started feeding them, letting them in, taking them to the vet to get them spayed and neutered. We made a place for them to live.”

Eugene and his brother, Corky have a 13-acre plot of land that gives the dogs ample space to play, but the retiree said when he saw a man pulling carts of rocks with his tractor he was inspired. He came up with a way to take his rescue dogs on trips that explored beyond their backyard. That was when the ‘dog train’ came to life.

“I started out with my tractor. I had a little trailer and I put four or five dogs in there and took them riding. Then more dogs started to show up and I said, ‘Uh-oh! That’s not enough room!'”

To expand on the train for his – ever expanding – number of dogs Bostwick made the perfect carriage for each one by cutting holes in plastic barrels and attaching wheels to them. He then attached the eight barrels to each other before attaching the barrels together. The locals are delighted to have the train engineer and his passengers roll through, especially the golfers on Sycamore Golf Course behind his property, as he takes the twice weekly hour and half trip through the property. Of course nothing can beat the excitement the dogs themselves feel about their trip. Bostwick says whenever the nine dogs he cares for now (two are small and both hold in a single barrel), hear him hooking up the train they all come running and hop in, all by themselves.

“I’m getting up in age. I’m 80 now, so I suppose it can’t last too much longer, but I’ll keep it going as long as I can. The dogs have a great time. They just really enjoy it.”

Of course, the excitement the dogs feel for their train ride is clearly seen in their reaction in the video. The site is sure to put a smile on the face of all who see it. E! Online calls Eugene their hero.

[Photo Courtesy of Tiffany Johnson’s Facebook Page]