Local

Puppy recovering after it was rescued from a dumpster

ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — A rescue group is caring for a weeks-old puppy after it was discovered in a dumpster.

Animal experts told us this story is an example of an alarming trend in the area.

A woman dumping trash heard the unmistakable sound of whimpers coming from a dumpster.

"Her immediate thought and concern was that perhaps it was a baby in the dumpster," said Sgt. Kim Lucas with the Conyers Police Department.

But then she took closer look, it appears that someone dumped the pup believed to be about 8 weeks old behind the C.E. Steele Center.

Conyers police shared bodycam video from the moment officers Will Treadwell and Paul Bernichon pulled a puppy to safety.

TRENDING STORIES:

"It's going to be cold tonight and who knows if anyone would have come up on the puppy and she couldn't get out of the dumpster," said Lucas.

Lori Todd with Walking Home Together Animal Rescue said a day later it would have been much worse.

"She would have spent a night in the cold, a night in the dumpster and who knows what she would have ingested," Todd said.

She said this kind of dumping is rare, but she is seeing another disturbing trend.

"I see more of people moving (out) and leaving their dogs or, this dog wandered in my yard and had puppies when it is your dog," Todd said.

The puppy who officers are calling "Diver" was dehydrated, lethargic, malnourished and suffering from worms, but Todd said there's time to turn it around.

"She's already started to wag her tail. I would venture to say in three to four days once we have the worms out of her body, good food in her body that she will be fine."