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
Teri Titkemeier
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They don’t deserve to have this sweetie back,
Mary Howard Withers
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Let someone who would cherish her adopt her. Please don’t give her back to the people that left her!!!!!!
Sarah Michelle
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Yeah, I’d rather adopt this dog.
Maria Donovan
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But did the owners not take her with them
Maria Humphrey
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Find who ☠️
Rosa Aguilera
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Why do we need to find owner they’re nothing but a piece of s*** for leaving this poor baby tied up that means they didn’t love her or him enough
Cindy Darnell
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I’m sorry… but unless there’s more to the story… the owners should be found ONLY to be given a cruelty to animals citation!!!
Chris Fox
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Hope when they ate found, they are arrested for neglect.
Tysann Heard
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That’s not what the sheriff of that county said
Rachael Jayne Mendizabal
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Why in the world would you give her back to her owners?
Eliana Crema
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Exactly. That’s why I posed the question. Makes no sense.
Tiffany Christine
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Ok they “had” to leave her behind. At least untie her !
Carol Berentes
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So precious no they don’t deserve the pup back no way could I or would I leave my fur babies behind no way
LuAnn Riegl Daniel
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Absolutely!
Noel Melton
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Find a new home. They left her tied up in a flood! They don’t deserve her
Denise DeLillo Wailgum
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Why would you want to give this poor dog back to people who left him…???
Ken Marx
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Doesn’t appear they cared too much about her.
Ken Marx
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Doesn’t appear they cared too much about her.
Jeanette Dowdy
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I hope you are able to find the owners, to prosecute
Andrea Villa
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If they tied her up and abandoned her, why try to find the owners??? Send her to a safe shelter please!]
Don Stark
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Who has the dog now?
Julie Flanagan
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Do you think rescuers were telling them to do that and they would come back and get them? Just asking. I wouldn’t leave them either no matter what.
Esmeralda Morales
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Why the hell someone will return the dog to the family???obviously they didnt care about this puppy to leave it to die painfully and alone!!$#%&!@*NO!!
Michelle Fowler Hollingsworth
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Right! I would like to find and prosecute!
Carla Fisher
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NO, she should not go back to those terrible people!!! She needs a new and loving home!!!
Cecelia Ortiz Muuss
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Prayers she finds a new home!
Israel Delaluz
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owner$#%&!@*tied up to a tree mother f…
Kim Henry
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Hope she founds her owners
Nikkii Summerville
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Are they Serious????????
Sharon L Rabideau
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cruel, a dog would not leave their owners…. They don’t deserve their dog back!
Teresa Scott
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Did her owners leave her there? If so don’t go looking for them
Callie Koch
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Why do find her owners except to arrest them
Sheree Russ
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She needs a new family.
Pat Mortenson-Roach
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How the hell do people do the things that they do…
She deserves better
Lisa Coppa
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Lucky is lucky because someone cared…the owners didn’t so why would they return her to the owners who abandoned the poor dog??
Ashley Nicole
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I hope you’re looking for the owners to shame them for tying their dog to a pole! MONSTERS.
Irene Gardella Fisher
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I think Lucky needs a new mommy and daddy. Obviously the owners didn’t care enough if he lived or died. I thought Texas has a law that you can’t leave pets tied up during weather emergencies?
Jenepher Ann Brill
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Owners?
Sherelle Virolainen
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Lucky needs new owners that wouldn’t tie her up in a hurricane
Alana Daniels
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Find the owners? No. They sound like horrid people. Find Lucky a LOVING HOME.
Paulette Greyn
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I agree with the majority here. Her FORMER owners don’t deserve this precious animal. The only reason I would want them found would be to charge them with animal abuse! Do not give this dog back to them!!
Pat Thyssen
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Lucky should not go back to her owner if that’s how they deal with an emergency!
Paul M Praill
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Her owners don’t deserve to have her back.
Carol Wright
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Shouldn’t go back to owners that tie it up to drown. Should be found another home.
Leth Camitoc
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The owner of this dog is $#%&!@*.
Susan Ferrell
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Do not allow the owners to have her back she needs a new home
Barb Sturdy Girdler
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Why would you give him back to the owners are you idiots or what. They left him to die adopt him to someone who cares.
Claudia Pinet
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Jpleure.
Linda Ireland
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If they left her like that she needs new owners
Kathie Wagner
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Why would you ever look for the dogs owners? Are you crazy to give that dog back! They left her to drown for God’s sake!!!