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
Kelly Morrison MacDonald
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Oh Lori Constable-Smolcic l love your passion and totally agree with you.
Rachel Simonds
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The owners don’t deserve him!
Helen O'Donoghue
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If that’s the way she was treated by her owners, find her new ones — the old ones don’t deserve her.
Christine MacPhail
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If she can get NY I’d adopt her
Susan Perkins
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My thoughts exactly!!
Marsha Bennett
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please don’t let her so-called family have this poor dog; find her a loving home where she will never be mistreated again.
Rose Liosi
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you are 100% right!!!
Kimmy Wazny
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Exactly Kristi
Miriam Stanley Pace
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Needs help finding owners? After they left her tied up to drown?
Mike Szwed
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I agree, the only reason to find the owners and other owners who have done the same thing is to arrest them!!
Miriam Stanley Pace
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Okay I’m supposed to believe they accidentally left not one but 2 dogs tied up to drown!! Yeah okay.
David White
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Hell, Send Lucky to my home. He will have a forever home.
Joyce Jordan Cimiotti
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Finding the owners to do what, whip their$#%&!@*doe leaving that poor baby tied up. I swear, tou have some stupid people in this world. Don’t give that dog back to them. They didn’t love that dog that much. Idiots
Debbie Brennan
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Shared.
Robin Ratchford
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She needs new owners. Please don’t give her back to them.
Rhonda Pethoud
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And if you read the story, it clearly states she was on a leash attached to the pole. Shameful. Thank God this guy found her and the other animals these losers abandoned!!
Josephine Colon
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He should get a new on net who doesn’t tie him up
Dana Kress
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I agree I wouldn’t look for the owners !!
Except to put them in jail for cruelty to animals
Janice Thomas
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Yes, her owners certainly should be found, and prosecuted for their blatent animal abuse and negect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brenda Anne Vogler
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…blessings on your head, for rescuing this poor baby ! ❤❤❤❤
Lauren Walker Davis
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Do not send her back to them!
Barbara Minerly
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i wouldn’t give the dog back to the owners they were wrong
Andrea Scafidi
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Yepper robin
Gillian Beech
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Thank goodness for that!
Rainer Bussmann
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Find the owners? For what – if not to chain them up on a post and leave them to drown too!
Jan Banks
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Won’t share to find pos owners
Shira Lubliner
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Don’t return this poor dog to such irresponsible owners. She deserves better
Dawn Flaherty
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Exactly .. tied to a lampost!!! Deserving of better humans x
Vicki Russell
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No that pup doesn’t need owners. Owners need to be punished.
Laura Bigland
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Is it wise to give her back to owners who left her to drown?
Andrew Ford
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Thank you
Laura Bigland
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She’s beautiful ❤️❤️
Imelda Lopez
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First of all let’s not find his owners because apparently they didn’t give a$#%&!@*about him . Why would you leave your dogs behind ? Either us & the dog or none !
Imelda Lopez
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Same thing my daughter said ! Why the$#%&!@*would they look for the owners who don’t give a$#%&!@*about the dog ?
Connie Christianson
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Don’t look for the owners! Give him to someone who will love and protect him!
Pat Piccione-Athanasion
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Hope Lucky finds a new home that gives this dog love it deserves
Jim Graziano
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I think not find the owners they just left the animals there to drown that’s disgusting
Nada Weiss
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She doesn’t need someone like that. I’d love to have her and show her lots of love.
Nanette Foglesong Cargill
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Can’t Won’t no way share!! They tied the dog up!! Grrrr
Ruth McAbee Nesbitt
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I would never leave my animals and I agree with the posts that Lucky needs an owner.. Apparently the dog did not have one to begin with!!
Patricia Hines
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The only reason her owners should be found is to charge th with animal cruelty. They could have left her but to tie her up in just insanely cruel.
Monica Christen
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Im going to try to believe that it was impossible for them to get to their furbaby…..I just and would never leave Zoe…trying not to judge. Glad pup was saved.
Jennifer Yo You Frazen
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To me Monica Christen it is a matter of priorities, I would grab pictures and my pugs, everything else is replaceable. I cried when I saw this picture, the eyes of this animal are so sad, and defeated, I am so glad that it got rescued…just wish people treated their dogs as a family member not an afterthought
Valerie Irvine Shealer
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She would be better off with an adoptive family if her owners left her like that. I am not going to share for that reason only
Amiee Smith
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I will keep and love lucky forever!!!
Kathy Amick
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New owners. They obviously didn’t care about him. He needs someone who won’t abandon him.
Kathy Amick
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Oh Lucky is a girl. Sorry she. She needs new owner.
Gina Salmans
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It’s unfortunate but I have seen hundreds of dogs, horses, even a pig that had to be left behind. It’s hard not to judge.
Peggy Rush Watson
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Find her owners ….are you kidding me?
Missy McMinn
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I r so right!