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
Annelie Persson
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No find that dog a human owner
Joyce Burns
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I would NEVER give this dog back to the previous owners. I would see if there were any charges that could be brought against them, but they would never get back the dog.
Dorothy Gordon
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Owners don’t deserve her!!! I would NEVER leave my babies
Joyce Burns
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Janice Stewart Monroy They knew the storm was coming, and kept the dog tied up? nope, not buying it
Nats Van Rooyen
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I wouldn’t want her to go back to the owners who tied her to a pole. A: they knew that there was going to be flooding. What was their excuse? Shame on them
Bonnie Mullen Mynahan
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Her owners dont deserve her
Barbara Dunne
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I hope to believe that the people were being taken to safety and were not allowed to take the dog and had no other choice than to leave their pet behind. Sometimes, people do have to make hard decisions!
Cate Hamilton
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This little girl needs a NEW owner, not the one who tied her to a pole to drown. >:( Wishing her a nright new life and lots of love <3
Cate Hamilton
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This little girl needs a NEW owner, not the one who tied her to a pole to drown. >:( Wishing her a bright new life and lots of love <3
Anna Maria Brugger
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What kind of idiot ties their dog to a pole and leaves him there knowing it’s going to flood?
Ian Parker
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They need to find them to prosecute them and give the dog to a loving family. I would take my dog before a relative, it can’t look after itself they can!
Melva Ruth Wild
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Daisy can ride with me
Jacqui Eaves
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Thank you for saving her! Xx
Linda Wampler Roy
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I feel the same way about pets. How can anyone just leave them knowing what’s going to happen
Aud Sofie
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Agree 100 %
Aud Sofie
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Agree
Jennifer Speshock
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How could you leave your dog behind!?…. and tied to a pole to drown. No escape. Horrible parents
Carol Morrow
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Dont give him back to owners they wouldn’t of tied him up if they wanted him they would of tookthe poor thing with them
Debbie McAboy
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I’m so glad the animals were rescued – it was frightening t see animals tied up.
Rebecca Hester
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The owners don’t need her back . They left her for dead. Find her a new home. Unreal Son’s to do that.
Beth Guffey Thomas
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They would not be looking for this pup anyway!!
Belinda Maulkerson
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Only find the owners to give them a clump for leaving her behind… she neads a nice home where she’s wanted ..
Mar Ribera Cabrera
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Cp
Magaly Rodríguez
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Muy cierto totalmente de acuerdo ya ella sufrió demadiafo, merece otra familia
Beverley Craig
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Why do these people tie the dogs up. I don’t understand. They don’t have a chance.
How could they leave their pets like that.
It’s criminal.
Beverley Craig
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Bless this man who saved her
Anu John
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Please all of u help Lucky the dog find his owner
Stefanie Duran
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Arlo
Lisa Gabak
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Poor doggie maybe the owners should b found and tied up like the dog and c how helpless they r
Barb Sturdy Girdler
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I have a standard poodle my boyfriend has a 37 1/2ft sailboat before we leave the dock her life jacket is on until we dock @ our destination !!!!!!
Stacey Faber Bond
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SHOULDN’T b allowed to go back to ANY owner that left there “loved ones ” to. DIE in the storm they DON’T deserve them back
Dawn E. Bencomo
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Find her owner and then charge them for leaving her to die. Then forbid them for having another animal. If their situation prevented them from taking her with them
Kelly Kemper
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She was left to die send her to me
Jennifer Rawley
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Screw her “family” that tied her up outside during a hurricane. She deserves better!!
Rita Privette
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Just came back from Barcelona, Every dog is chipped. If the police come across a lost dog they read there chip. If it was abandoned they are fined 20,000€ euros.
Terry Baratta
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I thought the photographer from Daily Mail who saved him was keeping the pup… you leave you’re dog tied to a tree during a hurricane. Owners have a lot of explaining to do once they are found
Joy Barker
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She needs a new family! Her owners do not desire her.
Janeene DuBois
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Absolutely no excuse ever to do this to a dog. Unforgivable,
Stewart French
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Don’t call the police or they’ll shoot the dog!!!
Janeene DuBois
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Ruby Bitanga-Saghir yes end of story. Its not about the face they left the dogs behind. It is about the fact they died them to a bloody pole so they could not dave themselves.
Janeene DuBois
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Jennifer Yo You Frazen i believe you. I could mot live with myself knowing they depend on me and trust me with their lives
Amanda Marie
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Auntie Mellioni, Alabama wants me to tell you that she doesn’t like these stories because mama crawls her pregnant self into the basket to hug and kiss the poobles.
Kenny Scott
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She needs new owners. They abandon her there
Gloria Albelo
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What ??? Owners ??? Why are you looking for the owners they kust left the babies they don’t need a dog
They need to be tied to a tree and die that’s right just like that
Joann Whitmire
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Yeah,they need to be found so someone can tie them to a tree…Please send that dog to a loving family,it needs alot of love,NOT ABUSE!!!!!
Joann Whitmire
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I would take her but don’t know how to find out where she’s located.Please don’t let her go back to those mean,horrible monsters 🙁
Tina Christina Chinn Szturemski
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shame how cruel hope she finds a good home
Connie Lynn Nies
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Don’t give her back to the owners. They should be in jail for what they did leaving her tied to a tree! Scum!
Cheryl Brenner
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Although it looks like she was tied and left to die, a new home would be appropriate
Susan Ann Salehi
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You call that a owner i dont think so ! There is no way I would leave my family member to die like that ! They dont deserve the dog they tried to kill it if you love something you don’t do that! He needs a new home !