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
Ruan Jooste
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Gerda Coetzee Van Tonder
Terri Spence Hume
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hope the owners do not claim her so she can go to a good home that will never abandon her.
Rachel Grace
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Don’t give that poor pup back …he was clearly abandoned …help him find a forever home with someone who love him and take proper care of him ….after all this he deserves better …
Sarah Winckelman
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Why look for her owners? They should be charged with animal abuse. She is very sweet looking and deserves a home where they will love and care for her.
Kristi Brandmueller Wearne
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Why give him back to despicable owners?
Susan Jordan
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I wouldn’t give her back to people who tied her up to drown.
Laura Szendel
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Don’t find her owners. They are heartless morons. Poor baby. She’s small enough to tuck into a coat or purse.
Judy Anderson
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How could you tie the dog up and then forget about it. That dog was part of your family. Did you forget your kids somewhere to. Maybe the dog is better off now and I hope someone will give it a good home. Thanks to the person for being there for it and helping it out. It is a beautiful dog.
Ana Maria Silva Machado
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Please!Love!°°
Rinku R. Klal
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What seriously hell no…. She need a new owner …. After Living her behind tied her down with pole seriously she love no way….
Lili Gutierrez
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I agree, she should find a new home. The owners should be charged with animal abuse. They left her behind to die. She is lucky to be alive.
Lynne Bowman
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Tie them scum bags up !!
Kimberly Jo Trask Mullen
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Will no t share she needs a family that will love and take care of her❣️
Vicki Syverson
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No dog should be left tied up to die a slow certain death of drowning. If you cannot take the dog at least unchain them. I don’t think they love the dog, she deserves a better life. Wth
Veronica Simpson
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Wouldn’t even begin to look for them after they left her tied up like that.
Ana Maria Silva Machado
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My.god please
Vicki Rochester
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This sweet baby needs a new loving family not the ones that deserted her..what a horrible death she would have suffered if not for that loving and caring person who rescued her! The previous owners LOST their ownership, as far as I am concerned!
Sandra Powell
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Thank you for rescuing her I had nightmares of that dog if you find the owners do not give them the dog back, tie them to the tree and give the dog to a loving forever home
Dee Hall
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Why would you want to give the dog back to people who tied it up to die?
Ana Maria Silva Machado
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Não ao mesmo dono!
Connie Hodges
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She deserves a loving home. Don’t let her go back to her “owners”!
Lois Randle
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I saw on the news the person who rescued her would love to adopt her. Her previous owners left her tied to a post, no way should they have a dog. Best wishes pup
Jeanne Pearson
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Find the owners to prosecute. Lucky deserves a loving home with responsible, empathetic new owners.
Carmen Gricel Soto
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She needs new owners. I agree. Who leaves the pets behind. Shame on them. Pets are family members too.
Tammy Linne Jones
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Find this one a new home….one that will love him and never tie him up…..heartbreaking..
Jackie Chappell
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I would find a loving home for this baby instead of handing her back to the very ones that abandoned her
Cathy Gross
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Her owners don’t deserve to have her back!!!!
Susan Denney
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It’s possible he got separated from his family and someone else left him tied up. I’m reserving judgment until all the facts are known.
Carol Clemens Durham
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They didnt love her enough to save her. She needs a new loving forever home. So glad someone saw this and savedher.
Jesse Trujillo
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please ,her owners could careless about her find her a new home
Beth Ray
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Why would they give her back to the scumbags who left her behind
Mary Reisinger
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F that. They left her tied up. Do not give this innocent baby back to that garbage.
Rene Barnes Dzubay
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Y in the world do u think the owners need to be found????they tied her up and left her to die . That’s crazy to even want to do that !
Roxanne Petrucci Cramer
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Absolutely agree!
Linda Reeves
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Lovely but I think he needs a new owner ,anyone that leaves their baby like that doesn’t need her
Jennifer Masker
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To hell with the people who left her to die. If your looking for them for answers and a conviction, maybe but they don’t deserve to get her back
Smiljana Savicic
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i’d let my dog perch on my effing head until everything was sorted out.
Linda Harmon Page
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Why find her owners…they left her!!!!!
Sharon Lutz Peters-Macewan
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I would never leave my dog behind
Trixie Mathis
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Agreed!!!!
Valerie French
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what is it with the Americans that they never think of their animals in times of danger and why do all their dogs have to be tied or chained up its not natural
Gwen Dawson
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Owners abandoned the dog and also left it tied so it couldn’t even fend for itself. They don’t deserve having it returned to them. Hope the person that saved him will be able to take it back with him.
Jackie Waite
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Definetly. Find someone whose actually going to care for him. Not the arseholes who tied him up
Marty Arko
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Why on earth would you put a dog back with owners if they tether her & abandoned her to die in a flood. Find someone who will love her.
Megan Rieger
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I don’t necessarily know if you want to find her owners. It appears they abandoned her.
Bill Hall
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The owners should be tied to that pole!
Veronica Pawlus Hargrove
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They don’t deserve to have him back.
Valerie French
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hope they wil let you have her
Raine Chambers
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The owners don’t deserve to get her back, they left her to drown worse still she was tied up so she couldn’t save herself. Disgusting!
Zanna Rae
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Nope. Nope. Nope. The owner didnt even give their dog a chance. It’s bad enough you LEAVE them..but to leave them tied up sentenced this dog to death if it werent for the kindness of strangers. Time to find NEW owners.