Dogs "On The Road" in Texas
FORT WORTH -- I came to Fort Worth, Texas thinking I had seen everything, when out rolled evidence to the contrary -- a guy on a mower pulling nine dogs on a train.
That's a new one. In fact, the only thing more surprising than the sight, may be the story behind it.
The train ride is the brain child of brothers Eugene and Walter Bostick, and it's just a small part of their much larger mission to improve the lives of every single critter they come across. The Bosticks, who live in the same 11 acre woods they grew up in, spend thousands of dollars a year just feeding the wildlife here.
Dog train in Texas.
CBS NEWS
"You name 'em - 'coons, 'possums," said Walter.
"Beaver," Eugene chimed in.
"No, we don't...Oh yeah, the beaver does eat corn and bread," Walter responded.
They don't miss so much as a mallard. And if you're wondering why they have this insatiable need to feed, the answer is simple -- childhood guilt.
Dog train in Texas, the brainchild of two brothers.
CBS NEWS
"When we first moved here we killed them all. The rule of the day was anything that moved we shot," the brothers said.
But now these repentant hunters are making amends in any way they can think of, which brings us back to the train. Over the years a lot of stray dogs have wandered onto the property. Of course they're cared for, but that wasn't enough for the Bostick boys who thought these mutts might enjoy a little movement as well.
"You'd be surprised how good it makes you feel to see them loading up and how happy they are," Walter said.
Texas brothers Eugene and Walter Bostick.
CBS NEWS
The train departs once a week for an hour of pure joy. The mangy misfits -- now the envy of the neighborhood. The dogs no one wanted -- now like celebrities on a catwalk.
Their giant chew-chew toy takes the dogs mostly through the local warehouse district, but for the brothers, each trip takes them one step closer to redemption.
Certainly if all dogs go to heaven, you know there's gotta be room for those who engineer their happiness.
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