With the waters above her paws and a leash tethering her to a pole, the dog looked on the verge of becoming a victim of Hurricane Harvey.
The mongrel was soaked to the skin and apparently abandoned in an area where every human had fled before the storm – until DailyMail.com intervened.
Photographer Ruaridh Connellan rushed across the flood water, which was fortunately not dangerously deep, and untied the dog, who wagged her tail and bounded of to safer ground.
Her name now? Lucky – although she still needs a bit more luck to come her way. Lucky was left tied up by her owners on the land where they had been living in a trailer just outside Victoria.
They seemed to have fled, as did all their neighbors.
Whether by accident or design, they left her tied to a post on a leash, where our photographer and reporter her found her on Saturday afternoon.
She was happy to be free and led DailyMail.com to her friends: another dog, a pit bull cross breed, two cats and a small pony.
The pit bull cross was also tied up, but on a longer leach and on the dry land; suggesting that Lucky being tied up in a more dangerous spot may well have been an accident of panicked people fleeing from danger.
Connellan said he couldn’t sleep that night wondering if the pet pooch was OK. And the next day DailyMail.com returned to the trailer.
‘I was happy to see Lucky when I pulled up to the property, she came running out through the fence and greeted and me wagging her tail,’ Connellan said.
‘I fed Lucky some food I had in my car and gave her some fresh water.’
Lucky and the other animals appeared frightened but otherwise safe, for now.
Connellan called the local animal control agency to report the abandoned animals and plans on adopting Lucky if possible. But the authorities are understandably overwhelmed by the scale of the unfolding disaster.
So far DailyMail.com has been unable to trace who was living at the trailer before they left Lucky tied up. She and the other animals had been well-looked after before they left, but they need human attention soon.
Connellan would be happy to step into the breach, after forming a bond with the energetic mongrel.
‘I’d love to take Lucky to live with me in New York. But sadly I’ll have to wait and go through the proper channels.
‘I’m disappointed in people who abandon their animals. I feel good about what I did. There is no doubt in my mind, if I didn’t unleash Lucky from the tree, she would have drowned.’
Do you know Lucky’s owners? Email newsus@mailonline.com
Janet Hulsey
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Agreed
Lynn Ritchie
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Perhaps Harvey needs a more thoughtful family ..just saying !
Glenda Willis Brayman
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I’m just saying that if I knew a flood was coming I would take precautionary measures to take. Are of my animals. They knew there would probably be flooding and if you know you have fur babies have a plan in place to make sure they are in a safe place or with you.! For goodness sake. It’s been on the news for weeks that Harvey was coming! I live in Alabama and I knew it was coming. Think the owners may be to stupid to have a dog. Find Lucky a new home!
Louise Fotheringham
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Find the owner and tie him to a post! See if he enjoys!
Karen Waits
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Why in the hell would you want the owners!!!! They don’t deserve any pets!!!!
Lynn Ritchie
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WHoops i ment Lucky
Amanda Prep
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The poor dog need a new owner that will take care of her and love her like a family. I wish someone will take her in.
Kitty Biller
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Nah they dont need to find her owners, her owners left her to die…she needs a NEW family
Sandra Adler
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WHY would you give her back?????????
Donna Orren
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Poor baby.
Sharon LeSage
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Do they deserve to get her back? Poor Doggie-
Joyce Martis House
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FInd their owners???!! They don’t deserve a dog. What kind of evil person ties up a dog in a flood area? If you’re looking for them to prosecute for animal cruelty, then I applaud that. Hope this pup finds a new home with people who value her life.
Betty Moseley
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You only need to find owners to place charges. Not to reunite.
Amanda Prep
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Same here I loves my two
Debbie Reinier-jacoby
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Not find the owners unless it’s to prosecute them. Find this baby a new home with people that live her!❤️
April Sanborn
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Lucky needs to find a loving home so mean to leave her my dog weighs 53 pounds much lighter in water and I’d carry him no matter what
Carol Garr
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I kept thinking about her and I was hoping to see that she was rescued. Thanks for posting so we that are concerned new she is going to be ok.
Rachel Sore
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Some owners to leave the poor thing x
Suzanne Scott
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What kills me is most all people will take their pets with them…yet they can’t bring the pets into shelters….what are they supposed to do?? There were reports the Holiday Inn down there won’t allow anyone to bring in their pets because they have a “NO PET” policy….okay, but you are in a state of emergency….are you gonna tell me you can’t bend the rules for a disaster?!? You can bet people will remember this hotel for a long time! There is a furniture store down there where they allowed people to shelter there WITH their pets..Bless whoever owns/works at that store!
Cindy Ouellette
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Il a été sauvé Allyson Ouellette !!
Tina Forgetmenot
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New owners for poor dog …..
Erica Garlicki Burger
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I think she needs new owners, anyone who leaves animals tied up in the rain and storm should not have animals
April Harper Berryessa
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Pets Are Family!!! You DONT LEAVE FAMILY BEHIND!!!! I’d carry my “Koda” over my shoulders if I had to!!!!
Sylvia Oliver
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yes I agree they literally left her there to die – at least take it off the leash!
Laurel Meloche Lecuyer
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I agree why would you want to give her back to people who did not want her anyway.
Kristina Costa-Schuessler
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I would think that they owners would fall under abandonment, because had these people not came across them they would be dead at some point. either by drowning or by starvation.. I think that there should no longer be channels to follow in removal of the animals to new homes.. However I do think that the owners should be held accountable for what they did, because they left them to die and only by chance where their lives saved..
Sarah Kurth Sheblessy
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She needs new owners.
Cindy Erickson
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We all agree. Find a new home.
Rosemary De Silva
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Don’t give to the owner. They abondon him.
Sally Miner Griffin
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Don’t find the owners who left her tied there! Find her a good home with people who will love her, take care of her and never leave her behind to drown!
Linda Dikeman
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Agree with all the above. The owners don’t deserve Lucky to leave tied up to drown.
Paget Lund
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How could those people do that to that dog. So heartless.
K Beets Hickey
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Her “owners” DO NOT deserve this dog……they chained her to a pole AND will be prosecuted if they come forward. Law Enforcement made that very clear in a press conference ….. ANYONE chaining or leaving a pet in extreme conditions WILL be prosecuted….. NO to returning this pup to those rotten people. They deserve jail…not reuniting with their dog.
Jane Turcotte
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If they didn’t think there would be flooding, then why did they evacuate?
Linda Salcido
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They don’t deserve to have her back. They left her to die
Cinda Zeisloft Cron
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Why find the owners to return the dog to when they left the dog behind tied to a pole!! Thank goodness for the rescuers!
Robert Bell
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Why would you give her back to the owners? After all, they did leave her tied up to drown!!!!
Attila Lazar
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I hope you guys want to find the owners to punch into their face…. keep this little angel away from them!
Renée Boczkowski Michaelis
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Don’t give her back!
Jane Turcotte
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What Cindy said… don’t lump us all in with these losers. If I had NO options AT ALL to take my furry kids with me somewhere safe then we would ride it out on the roof together.. they are my family. We’re not all like the jerks who left their pups like this.
Monica Hoover
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My opinion the owners don’t deserve their dog back!! I would NEVER leave my animals behind. The little woo woo needs a forever home that will always look out for he or she!!!!
Kathy Sullivan Gennuso
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If they left their dog tied up? When they are found tie them up.
Christopher Spray
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No the owner do not deserve to die. It amazes me the people on these groups that exalt dogs above humans. I love my beagle to death, but my dog is that; a dog. The first concern is the survival of HUMANS.
Now should the owner have tied the dog up to a pole? Probably not. But the owner does not deserve to die.
Shame an all of you. Dogs have become more important in our society than human beings. Pitiful.
Charity Tropp
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Her so called owners don’t deserve her, the other dog, the two cats and the pony. They made sure to save themselves, meanwhile they leave 5 living creatures to fend for themselves, two being tied to poles with no means of escape from the rising water. Let the guy who untied her, who wants her, adopt her, he clearly cares way more about her, going back to feed her and the others and put the rest up for adoption as well. Anyone who can do this to their beloved pet don’t deserve any pet. Bless the guy who saved her and the other animals and may he get to adopt her and give her the home she deserves.
Alan Reaves
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Let’s chain you to a pole Randee bet you change your tune. If that dog is chained to a pole even under perfect weather conditions isn’t right. ” LIVING ON A CHAIN AIN’T LIVING ” !!!
Stella Reed
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what the hell is wrong with people.in my book that is abuse..
Linda Plisko
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Why would we send her back to owners that left her for dead??? Please.find a loving adoptive family!!!
Gregory Carroll
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Bye, Bye owners or face ridicule!
Jane Turcotte
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It does say they are looking for the owners… it DOESN’T say, in order to give the animals back. Maybe they will face cruelty charges. They should, anyway..
Karen Klein
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I don’t think her owners are very nice people if they tied their dog up during a hurricane and left. I hope this sweet dog finds a loving home where it will not be abandoned.