Meet Charlie Puccini, the miracle dog. The much-loved family pet is now safely home after a near-death encounter with trains on the Illawarra line.

Charlie escaped from his backyard at Yarrawarrah, in Sydney's south, during a big storm on Wednesday, March 22.

Charlie with Pierra Bell and Jake, Lucy and Sophia Paynter. Credit:Chris Lane

In his terror the King Charles cavalier-cross found himself on the railway tracks between Loftus and Engadine stations where, say Sydney Trains staff, he survived three trains passing over him.

His owner Ann Paynter said Charlie was expected to die but he survived through the efforts of staff at Sydney Trains and Engadine Veterinary Hospital, along with the love of his family and his own will power.