Leopoldo "Polo" Rios started taking walks on his doctor's orders, but the 66-year-old found that he enjoyed them.

With his 4-year-old German shepherd mix, Mona, usually at his side, Rios would set off from his southwest Fort Worth home.

Wednesday afternoon his daughter, Vicky Rios, and his wife, Maria Rios, decided to surprise him and meet him halfway. Instead, the women found the bodies of Rios and Mona, killed when they were struck by a train.

Officer Jennifer Gabbert, a Benbrook police spokeswoman, said Rios and his dog apparently were on the bridge over Mary's Creek near the 7400 block of Vickery Boulevard West when a Union Pacific train approached.

"He may not have had a good place to run, " Gabbert said.

Joe Arbona, a spokesman for Union Pacific, said, "According to our reports, he was walking his dog in the middle of the railroad tracks.

"Our train crew blew the whistle, and it's my understanding that they went into emergency mode. I want to send our thoughts and prayers to the Rios family. It's a very difficult time for them and for us."

Relatives said Rios was talkative and loved to cook and watch sports. He was a stay-at-home dad who reared two daughters while his wife worked.

"He wanted to be there to take care of us," said Vicky Rios, 25.

Emma Hernandez, 29, laughed as she recalled that her father "insisted I wear cloth diapers even if he had to scrub them himself every day. And he did.

"He didn't want to use disposable because he didn't think they were good enough for me," she said.

Last school year, Rios worked as a crossing guard at Western Hills Primary School. He was expected to return in the fall.

"He was really respected and well-liked by all the pedestrians and schoolkids over there," officer J.R. Barron said. "The families really enjoyed having him out there."

Rios had had Mona since she was a puppy.

"They were always together. I guess they were just meant to be together in the afterlife," Vicky Rios said.

The article above was found on Google and was published originally on Star-Telegram.com