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
Goya Pantalones
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Thank you god almighty thank you!!!! The person who saved this poor dog is a great & brave person! We all need to protest & demand a new law for protection of all stray & all pets. Bring it all the way to the white house!
Patty Sullivan
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Why return the dog to them?????
Mandy Padayachee
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When u do find her owners , jail them for tying her up.
Paula Gattone
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Absolutely find this precious furbaby a new home. The owners were killing her and should never be allowed to have her or any other pet ever. They should be prosecuted for animal cruelty
Elisa Galleano
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No way should find the owners, it doesn’t matter the situation, if you can’t take your dog in any kind of dangerous situation with you, you can’t have a dog! They feel fear, cold, panic just like us! If they evacuated and couldn’t take with them, at least drop in a shelter off…
Mary Angela Marchetti
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Little Cutie! I pray they find your owners-if they treat you well. Otherwise, I pray you are adopted into a loving home as you deserve. Hugs.
Regina Bowling
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She can do better with another family
Mary Angela Marchetti
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Little Cutie! I pray they find your owners-if they treat you well. Otherwise, I pray you are adopted into a loving home as you deserve. Hugs.
Jon Mancusso
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God bless
Paula Hilbert Carmiencke Sabo
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Who ever did this to that poor dog does NOT deserve to have him back.
Lourdes López Márquez
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Please! Don’t do that! He needs new and lovely owners…
Sandi Smith
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How about finding NEW, LOVING owners for her instead of giving her back to the people that TIED her up to DIE. Look at that precious face, how could you do that?!
Jodi Miller
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Amen!
Maureen Heenan
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I don’t think her owners should get her back. She needs someone who will really care for her.
Chef Bean
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Why in God’s name would you even think to look for the owner? Give this dog a GOOD home.
Angela A Harlow
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needs new owners
Marie Von Dyl
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She needs help finding NEW owners. Her previous ones obviously considered her disposable.
Deborah Irvin
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Yay!
Don Donna Kay Kline
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Don’t give this dog back to the jerks who wanted to kill her …geez at least give her a new life with loving home
Sarah Hayrettin
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He clearly has no owners, as no loving owner would do this x
Patti McKenzie
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Why find the owners, they abandoned her. Let a loving home adopt her
Trixie Mathis
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Owners? Didn’t they without her? So why try finding those owners? Maybe new owners is the way to go , poor baby , what heartless people who EVIDENTLY don’t need animals! !
Kcangels Peace
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Omg thank u!!!!!!!!
Hui Min Lim
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If the owner has the heart to leave the poor dog behind and tied her to a pole allowing her to be drown in a flood while they themselves rn for their own life. I don’t think they deserve to own this dog back. May as well find her another forever home where the family will care and love her like family.
Maureen Mahoney Sullivan
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Why would you give this dog back to owners who left him to fend for himself????
Cristina Mejia
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Exactly!..☹️
Lex Tobin
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No way! That poor dog needs new owners if they had him tied to a tree.
Melody Patterson
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If her owners left her tied up, I hope they don’t find them!!
Hui Min Lim
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If the owner has the heart to leave the poor dog behind and tied her to a pole allowing her to be drown in a flood while they themselves run for their own life. I don’t think they deserve to own this dog back. May as well find her another forever home where the family will care and love her like family.
Karissa Crofts
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Do not give her back to her previous owners! They clearly didn’t want her. Many good people who would love to adopt her!
Cheryl Beecher
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She needs a new owner I think. I’d never leave my dog like that.
Myra Calilit
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God bless the people who help
Kim Moulton
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The same owners who tied her to a pole and left her to drown while they saved themselves? I believe this sweet dog needs new owners and I’ll pray that her name Lucky will see her safely into a permanent new home where she’ll be loved and protected for the rest of her life.
Maureen Rivera
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I agree
Sue Fuller Dor Murphy
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Totally agree too. Dont let this poor furbaby go back to the awful people who left him tied up and abandoned!
Marie L. Viola
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I want her!
Kathy Dugo
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So true……give her to a Loving home!!
Irene Vinteler
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I thought the article said this gentleman wanted to take her to New York is he or not?
Lynn Hanson
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So glad Lucky was rescued but owners do not deserve to get him back!
Adelia Laux
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Tobias Nordin
Keeley Means
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Thank goodness he was rescued!
Rose Gilbert
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i agree with Lex that dog needs NEW owners asap!
Julie Elderfield
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New owners please for this lovely dog xx
Ashly Lyon
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AGREED!
Callie Jacobs Stripe
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Her owners left her. Don’t give him back.
Jean Tinin-Evans
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Shame on you for trying to find the owners, find this baby new owners. Ones that won’t leave him behind to die. I can only imagine how scared this little fur baby was !!
Matt Giberson
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Anyone who abandons their pets during a flood needs to get a hot fire poker shoved up their a*s
Gale Stoia
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NO! Let’s find her a new home and NOT give her back to her owners.
Margaret Ziolkowski
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Shame on the owners for leaving her TIED up!
Jennifer Foreman
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She needs new owners!!!