Meet Lucky the dog who was saved during Hurricane Harvey!

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.

Before: A terrified dog was spotted by DailyMail.com photographer Ruaraidh Connellan as record-breaking flood waters rose around her just outside of Victoria. Almost safe: Connellan made his way across the flood water to help rescue the dog, who was tethered to the pole.

 

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.

My hero: Connellan named the dog Lucky. And when he went back 24 hours after saving her she ran up to him and wanted to play. When Connellan visited the property the next day, Lucky ran out and greeted him while wagging her tail. He brought the pup food and fresh water.

 

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.

Just look at her now. Connellan spent the night worrying about Lucky, but when he returned she seemed to be in good spirits

 

‘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.

Lucky’s friends: Lucky waswith another dog – a pitbull mix – two cats and a pony. DailyMail.com has called the local animal control agency to report the abandoned animals. They are safe but will need human attention soon
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.

Lucky’s friend, a pit bull mix, was also found tied up on higher ground. He had more freedom to roam around dry land but not enough – so DailyMail.com set him free too

 

‘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



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1,926 thoughts on “Meet Lucky the dog who was saved during Hurricane Harvey!

  1. I agree with everyone else on here. Leaving your dog tied to a tree after multiple warnings of the storm is unacceptable. The only reason the owners should be found is to prosecute them for cruelty!

  2. As far as I’m concerned those “owners” forfeited their claim on Lucky & the other animals. Take her home to NY with you Mr. Connellan & take other animals to shelter as they will starve to death waiting for those owners return!

  3. As far as I’m concerned those “owners” forfeited their claim on Lucky & the other animals. Take her home to NY with you Mr. Connellan & take other animals to shelter as they will starve to death waiting for those owners return!

  4. I don’t want her to find her family since they didn’t care enough for her ! Just left her tied to a pole and left to die! Maybe she needs a new home with people who would love her as she deserves!

  5. Human beings who show little empathy towards other living things usually fail to care for people too! Some people care only for their own rights. The owners need to be prosecuted! As law enforcement have already stated…. ‘residents of the effected area were given enough warning, dogs are part of the family and should be treated as such’. He then goes on to say that local law enforcement will be coming down on residents who left animals tied up with no chance of escape.

  6. Please find her a new forever home. The jerks who tied her to that pole don’t deserve to have ANY animals, much less one they already abandoned once & left to die in the flood. 🙁

  7. Her owners dont deserve to have her back. They betrayed ger and abandonned her to die horrifically alone and in fear. They should be prosecuted. I feel no sympathy for ppl who do this. No excuses storm or not…1 min to untie the dog…thats all they had to do is untie her so she had a fair cgance of surviving but they chose to leave her to die.

  8. I certainly would not give that dog back to the owners. That dog was assured of an instant death being tethered to a pole. Luckily, someone came along and found the dog and did more for that pup than its owners. If I have to go.. my dog goes… no ifs and, buts.

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