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
Andrea Nichols
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He does want his owners back, ya ever think about thatm
Cyndy Beard
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May his owners rot in hell
Nateand Laura
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Yeah find her old ones. Then charge them with animal cruelty.
Miriam Sokoloff
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Find the owner n put her or him to jail. Hope the dog find a new home
Susan Bennett
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Her owners did not give a darn
Taylor Sherwood
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Why on earth are you trying to track down the people who left him to die??
Joanne Kerr Clow
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What why find his owners get them to f@#k they don’t deserve him
Ellee Snow
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you dont know wht stuation shut up
Rose Noelle
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Her owners don’t deserve her. They left her to die.
Maureen Maltese D'orta
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Or don’t tie it to a pole! That’s awful. Glad he is safe!
Joanne Kucirka Beddy Cosimano
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If her owners tied her to a pole and left there’s only one reason I’d want to find them and it’s not to return her…….
Valerie Griffin
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They don’t deserve to get her back after chaining her to a post and leaving her to drown.
Ellee Snow
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you dont know what situation happened there shut up
Mary Jo Anderson Robertson
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I would have taken the animals with me and the owners would have to deal with it – they left them, they don’t deserve them
Dolly Tone
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They don’t deserve her.
Robin Haverstick
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Don’t find her owners give her to someone that would not abandon her.
Claudia Ann
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Her old owner just left her to die they shouldnt get her back,they thought there belonging were more important so all i can say is bad luck please come there wayfor doing this sweet looking dog like that .they deserve nothing.karma will bit you in the$#%&!@*dont give her back to the old owners they abandoned her.they are trashhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Melody Hardin
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That photographer should keep…..look happy together. ……owners abandoned to die!!!!!!! Do not give back to them
Barbara Greenman
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Sorry, this little guy needs a loving home, not to find the people who tied her to a tree! Change her name as well. “Lucky” is a bad luck name! Good fortune to you, little girl! ❤️
Juli Nusskern Andrews
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Good luck sweet baby on finding your new forever family. God bless
Lisa Mccann
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They left her to die , find new good home for her
Charlie Guitard
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not sharing.. very happy he was rescued.. they don’t deserve to have him back.
Anita Towner
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The owners don’t deserve to get him back. On the other hand I hope they are safe.
Delores Sellers
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Yep I’d find the owner but not to give dog back.
Jennifer Carlysle Edwards
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I’m not helping find these jerks. They don’t deserve to have him back. Who leaves a dog tied up to die
Paul Dale
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Lucky needs a home where they won’t abandon him again…his original pos family doesn’t deserve Lucky.
Mark Roter
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Who would want to go back to owner’s who left you tied to a tree to die in floodwaters?
Cathy Nelson
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Why give the dog back to its owners when they left it tied up behind in flood waters? Obviously they didn’t care enuf to take the dog with them, hope someone adopts the dog who can care for it the right way!!
Patsy Jo Rich Hawkins
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He shouldnt go back to them.
Kerry O
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All owners that left their dogs tied or in a cage outside to drown should be fined and NOT get the animals back!!!!!!
Kathy Rickey
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Lots of good thoughts going out to this little one. Hope they locate the family.
Jan Randolph Mercer
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Nooooo. Get a new loving owner
Cindy Leleux
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The only reason they should be looking for those people, is to arrest them!
Zmed Tra
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The owners didn’t want him in the first place, otherwise they wouldn’t have tied him to a post and abandon him there. Pure stupidity.
Runie Aleema
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Her owners don’t deserve her after leaving her tied to a damn pole to drown. This beauty needs a new forever home!! I wish I could take her in but I already got 2 cats who will not welcome her well…
Anafred Brutout
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get this poor dog a new owner who would never leave it
Emma Soper McDaid
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f**k the owners. Harvey deserves better!
Anthony Spano
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Lucky needs new owners.
Sheila Hardy
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Amen -common sense says her old
Owners dont deserve her-
Barbara Mandm
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yes i totally agree, that those weirdos shouldn’t of left that sweet dog there like that, and it made me cry when i saw this. i always want my furry babies where i can see them.
Katherine Zettler
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pray she does not
Kristi Patterson
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The owner’s should not be allowed to have this dog. Period. As well they should never have a dog ever again regardless of any emergency situation that put them in harm’s way. Praying Lucky goes to a responsible pet owner that will make sure in another natural disaster…that Lucky is the first in the boat
Betty A. Jones
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Do not give him back to them
Silvana Herrera
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Totally agree
Loaune Foster
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Fine her a new home
Dana Colomb
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Why the hell would you give this dog back to the heartless idiots who did this? If you find the owners chain them to a tree in a flood.
Janice Snow Heide
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Don’t give that poor dog back to owners. Worthless people!
Kristi Patterson
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I think the person who found him wants to keep him…I think that’s a wonderful idea
Vickie Wyatt Payne
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I would definitely like to know who this baby’s scum bag owners are, hopefully were! Praying she’s not forced to go back to them!
Candace Watkins
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Why would you want to find the people that left her for dead! She belongs with a loving family.