A stray dog trapped in a shipping container could easily have ended up shipped overseas but thanks to some observant U.S.Coast Guards she is safe. The U.S. Coast Guard Heartland shared that their team of marine inspectors were randomly inspecting shipping containers at the Port of Houston when they heard barking and scratching from one of the stacks 25 feet from the ground.
MST3 Bryan Wainscott, MST1 Lucas Loe, MST2 Ryan McMahon, and MST3 Jose Reyes decided to investigate and much to their surprise “a dog popped out!”
@luloe_ Doing the kings business #uscg ♬ original sound – Luloe
Loe told ABC’s Eyewitness News 13 that Connie was extremely lucky to have been found. “One container out of the thousands at the terminal, and we just happened to be right next to it,” he said of the dog’s discovery.
The female dog was “trapped in the container for at least a week” and the inspectors nicknamed her Connie the Container Dog. The U.S. Coast Guard Heartland said Connie was “tired, hungry, and very happy to see her rescuers.”
U.S. Coast Guard Heartland
An investigation revealed that the container Connie was inside was filled with discarded vehicles that likely came from a junkyard. The Coast Guard suspects that Connie was accidentally inside one of the derelict cars at the junkyard when it was loaded into the container.
McMahon was relieved that he and his team found Connie when they did. “It would take at least another week to get to where she was going [on a cargo ship] and two weeks without food or water. I don’t think she would have made it,” he said.
U.S. Coast Guard Heartland
After giving her some water and cuddles, they took Connie to the Pasadena Animal Shelter in Pasadena, Texas.
According to the shelter’s Facebook post, Connie is available for adoption at Forever Changed Animal Rescue (FCAR) in Maryland.
“Connie is a bit underweight and currently weighs 30lbs,” FCAR shared in a Facebook update about Connie. “She is incredibly sweet but very shy and scared of her new surroundings, as to be expected. She is heartworm-positive, and we will be getting her started on treatment ASAP. We will also be doing a full workup on her to ensure that she receives all the care she needs and deserves.”
Connie isn’t up for adoption just yet. Connie has now flown from Texas to a Maryland to go into foster care there. A volunteer pilot came and picked Connie up from Texas and flew her to the rescue. But in another twist – Connie is a mama to be! She is pregnant and will have puppies.
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