Dog Gets Saved
Surprise happy ending for dog thrown in dumpster as police seek cruel culprits
A trio of animal cruelty suspects remain at large more than a week after video surveillance recorded them trapping a dog inside a dumpster behind a U-Haul store on South Gessner.
As part of a joint public campaign to help find the perpetrators, the Houston Police Department and Crime Stoppers have released the disturbing footage, which shows three men tossing a black-and-white pit bull mix into a metal trash bin on Aug. 12. One of the culprits closes the lid to prevent the dog from escaping before the group speeds off in white or gray four-door SUV.
But unlike so many animal cruelty cases, the incident comes with a surprisingly happy ending, according to a report from officer Suzanne Hollifield with HPD's major offenders division.
"He was filthy and scared to death. But once I got him back to the clinic, he turned into a different dog."
Arriving at work the following morning, a general manager at the U-Haul store discovered the frightened pit bull and called the South Gessner Pet Clinic to assist in freeing the dog from the dumpster. After getting a clean bill of health from a veterinarian, the tagless 12-month-old pit bull made his way to Facebook with some help from clinic personnel.
"He was filthy and scared to death," a staffer posted the day after the dumpster rescue along with several pictures.
"But once I got him back to the clinic, he turned into a different dog. He loves other dogs, walks great on a leash and loves attention from anyone!! . . . We are giving him a bath this morning (you can imagine what he smells like after sitting in trash in the 90 degree weather for a day!"
Before long, the canine victim found himself living in new home with a new name — Luke.
Those with information about Luke's three abusers are asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS. As always, tipsters will remain anonymous.
