A dog found abandoned inside a dumpster on Christmas Day has a new home, thanks to a Villa Rica police officer. Now, officers are trying to track down the person who left her in the trash.
The abandoned dog was renamed Miracle, “which is appropriate considering the way she was found and saved,” Villa Rica police spokesman Capt. Keith Shaddix said.
Miracle was pulled from the dumpster Friday. And with a low of 24 degrees recorded, it was the coldest Christmas Day in more than 30 years.
A resident went to the dumpster at the Wilson Mill Town Homes about 4:30 p.m., according to Shaddix. As he went to place trash into the dumpster, he heard a noise, Shaddix said.
“He described the noise as a soft whimper,” he said.
The resident tried to find the source of the noise, but he was unable to and called 911. Two police officers — Officer Jason O’Neal and Officer McKenzie O’Bannon — arrived at the scene and continued searching for the source of the whimper.
O’Neal dug through the garbage inside the dumpster until he found a dog wrapped in a blanket and tied inside a plastic trash bag, Shaddix said. The officer rushed the dog to Atlanta West Animal Hospital, he said.
“Even though it was Christmas Day, Officer O’Neal was lucky enough to find that there were employees there taking care of animals,” Shaddix said. “They immediately gave the dog care, which resulted in saving the dog’s life.”
Miracle was extremely malnourished when she arrived at the veterinarian’s office, Atlanta West Animal Hospital said in a Facebook post.
“It is obvious someone mistreated her terribly, even before they threw her in the dumpster,” Atlanta West said. “The most important thing now is to get some weight on her.”
Veterinary specialists worked to nourish Miracle until she was able to swallow on her own. Upon her release, O’Neal took her home to continue caring for her.
“Miracle went to her new fur-ever home yesterday with the officer who found her!!!” Atlanta West posted. Authorities said she is recovering well and is expected to be fine.
Police are still working to locate Miracle’s previous owner. Anyone with information on the owner’s identity is asked to contact Sgt. B. Finley at 678-840-1314 or bfinley@villarica.org.
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