A construction worker throwing garbage in a Brooklyn dumpster made a horrible discovery Tuesday morning when he found a starving dog inside.
The gray and white pup, whose ribs were completely visible, was spotted by Jose Lopez outside a Walgreens in Brownsville, according to the New York Post.
Lopez, 53, who told the Post he has a rescue dog and the discovery “breaks his heart,” alerted the store employees who then called the police.
The abandoned female pit bull-Lab mix had a leash on, but did not have tags nor did she appear to have a microchip, rescue officials said.
Officials allowed Lopez to give the dog to his friends Thomas Brosnan and Rita Morabito-accardi, who are experienced animal rescuers on Long Island.
Brosnan told the Post the rescued pup, who remains nameless, is about 20 pounds, which is severely underweight for her breed. She should be between 35 and 40 pounds at that age, he added.
“Thank you everyone who helped save this little girl today from dying inside this dumpster,” Morabito-accardi captioned an Instagram photo of the dog. “She safe, belly’s full and cleaned. And she will be getting a good home soon.”
Brosnan told the Post that they had received 10 calls from people who wanted to adopt her by Tuesday afternoon.
Morabito-accardi told Metro Wednesday morning that the rescued dog was currently at the veterinarian, and she was waiting for an update on her condition.
When she and Brosnan took possession of the dog after Lopez found her, Morabito-accardi could tell she was “very lovable.”
“As soon as we got her in the car, she was jumping and kissing and a little nervous,” she said. “(She’s) a little intimidated by men, so she must have been abused by a man.”
She also said that the dog’s abusers boxed her tail, and it was so botched “they obviously did it at home.”
The dog should be ready for her new home in a few weeks, Morabito-accardi said.
“We have to fatten her up and will do a personality check,” she added. “We have to test to see if she’s OK with kids and men, my female took almost a year to be OK.”
If anyone is interested in adopting the dog, donating toward her medical bills, giving items such as blankets or food or fostering a rescue themselves, please email nikki.mascali@metro.us, who will send your info to Morabito-accardi.
