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--> --> Associated Press Bonk the dog's new adoptive family waits Saturday as A.C., the dog in residence at the Lane County Animal Regulation Authority office in Eugene, communicates his farewell. Puppy who survived getting hit by train goes to new home EUGENE (AP) - A puppy who survived slamming into a freight train only to be threatened with euthanasia went home Saturday afternoon with a new family and with his new name, Bonk. "He has to have that name," his new owner Catherine said. "That's his legacy." Bonk's new family declined to give their last name for fear that the puppy's previous owners will try to get him back. Bonk, a 4-month-old black Lab-mix, got his name after he was hit by a train Jan. 3 and rushed by a good Samaritan to a veterinary clinic. Employees at the clinic thought the name fit a dog who got out with only a lump on his head. Because his original owners didn't claim him, officials at the Lane County Animal Regulation Authority's shelter in west Eugene put Bonk up for adoption. At one point shelter officials said Bonk could be euthanized, but later vowed to find him a home no matter what. On Saturday as his new masters Jason, Catherine and Eli arrived to take him home, Bonk affectionately covered them with muddy paw prints. "It's a happy ending," said Mike Wellington, director of the Animal Regulation Authority. The puppy was taken to the animal shelter on Jan. 4 after he was left with Junction City veterinarian Mary Whitlock a day earlier. Whitlock treated him again on Jan. 5 when shelter workers thought he was having trouble opening his mouth to eat. He was nearly recovered by Saturday. Friends of Bonk's original owner went to the shelter to claim him but left when they learned of the $435 veterinary bill the owner would have to pay to get him back. Wellington said more than 100 people in 15 states and British Columbia called the shelter after Bonk's story appeared in The Register-Guard on Jan. 5 and in an Associated Press story. Jason and Catherine were first on the list and won the right to adopt Bonk. The adoption of Bonk came three months after the family adopted an 18-month-old black border collie mix. The couple said they wanted their 3 1/2 -year-old son, Eli, and soon-to-be-born son, Ronan, to grow up around animals. They said they live on a "dog haven," a large house in Eugene surrounded by 3 1/2 acres. "We're so set up to have a dog, and having a second is no big deal," Catherine said. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing