Dog Maimed in Escalator at Forest Hills MBTA Station

A Dorchester woman's little dog ran up an escalator at the and got a back leg caught in the machinery.

Mace, a 9-month-old Pomeranian mix, lost two toes but is expected to recover, according to veterinarians who treated him at the in Jamaica Plain.

The dog's owner told CBS Boston that her niece ran up the escalator the Sunday before last. The dog followed. Mace's back left paw became entangled at the top where "combs" meet the escalator steps.

"When he got to the top of the escalator, he screeched and I ran to the top and picked him up," owner Tonecia Johnson told CBS Boston. "He was so scared he tried to run into me and then I looked down and blood just started gushing from his foot."

The news station has footage of Johnson describing the incident and of a healing Mace hopping around. Vets say the dog will learn how to walk normally again.

The JP-based Angell Animal Medical Center treats an average two or three dogs a year for injuries suffered on escalators. Those dogs usually need emergency surgery, said Dr. Ashley Davis in an MSPCA press release.

"This is a very serious issue; most of us don’t think twice when stepping onto an escalator but it’s crucial for all of us to understand that dogs have no sense of the danger awaiting them at the top," Davis said. "If anything positive can come from Mace’s ordeal, it’s the awareness that his story will generate."

The T allows pets to ride during off-peak hours, subject to certain restrictions. Service dogs are, of course, allowed at all times.

But owners should never let their dogs use an escalator. Take the stairs or, if you have a small dog, pick it up and hold it in your arms as you ride the escalator, the MSPCA advises.

[WARNING: The attached photos of Mace's injuries are very graphic.]