Owner of hero dog fined for walking on tracks

AYER, Mass. (AP) — A Shirley woman who made headlines when she passed out on train tracks and her beloved pit bull suffered devastating injuries while dragging her out of the way of an oncoming train has been fined $100.

Christine Spain pleaded guilty Monday in Ayer District Court to illegally walking on railroad tracks.

The Sun of Lowell (http://bit.ly/Zk4A8w ) reports that an animal cruelty charge was dropped.

Police say the 54-year-old Spain was intoxicated as she walked home from her boyfriend's house and passed out. The train operator saw Lilly the dog pull the woman off the tracks. Lilly was struck and suffered a broken pelvis and had a leg amputated.

Spain's son, a police officer, said he bought Lilly as a therapy dog as his mother battled alcoholism, and she doted on the animal.

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Cox Media Group