You never know where you’ll find an animal in need of help, and it’s always inspiring to see people go out of their way to save the day.
That was the case recently, when four Coast Guard officers were shocked to discover a dog trapped in a shipping container and came to the rescue.
On January 31, a team of marine inspectors from U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston were on duty, randomly selecting shipping containers for inspection, according to a Facebook post from U.S. Coast Guard Heartland.
They were randomly choosing from thousands of containers — but suddenly, they noticed an unusual sound coming from a container 25 feet up.
“It’s scratching, dude!” one officer is heard saying in a TikTok video. They could also hear barking, and realized there was a live dog trapped in the unit.
They lowered the container, and out popped a dog, who was reportedly very happy to be rescued. She had been in the container for at least a week, and was tired and hungry. The Coast Guard members gave her water and called a local animal shelter for help.
“As soon as we opened it, we could see the little dog’s face poking out. She was right there, like she knew we were going to be there to open it for her,” petty officer 2nd class Ryan McMahon told the Associated Press. “And she just, she wasn’t scared or anything. She just seemed happy more than anything, to be out of that dark space and in the arms of people that were going to take care of her.”
According to the Facebook post, the dog has now been dubbed “Connie the Container Dog.” She is now up for adoption at the Pasadena Animal Shelter.
According to AP, the officers thought about adopting the dog themselves, but the time wasn’t right for any of them. “We know with all this, she’s going to go to a good home where they love her and take care of her,” McMahon said.
It’s not entirely clear how Connie ended up locked in the container, but the unit was filled with junked vehicles being shipped overseas for parts, so the officers suspect the dog was a stray who had gotten into a junkyard car.
They officers saved her life, but said that it’s a miracle she was discovered at all: the Bayport Container Terminal, on the Port of Houston, has over 10,000 containers.
“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,” McMahon told AP. “I don’t think she would have made it.”
It was a miraculous case of being in the right place at the right time.
Thank you to these Coast Guard officers for saving Connie’s life! It’s horrible to imagine what might’ve happened if they didn’t notice her barking and scratching, and truly a miracle she was found! We hope she finds a great home soon!
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