The other day, a staff member at Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL) received a call that made her stomach sink. A Good Samaritan saw a woman put a dog in a dumpster — and the poor girl was still alive.
The woman closed the dumpster’s lid and drove away, never once looking back to check on the innocent pup she’d left behind.
Luckily, the Good Samaritan called for help right away, and SRSL’s rescue team dropped everything to save her.
When they got there, the team lifted the top of the dumpster and discovered the sweetest face staring back at them.
“[S]he’s perfect in every way,” SRSL wrote on Facebook. “She is not trash.”
The full-grown pit bull, who seemed smaller when trapped within the depths of the dumpster, was beyond relieved to see the rescue team peering down at her.
She was OK, thankfully, but a few seconds more in the dumpster could’ve been devastating.
“We tried to hold back tears, but this really choked us up,” SRSL wrote. “It was so hot inside; we’re thankful she didn’t pass out.”
Donna Lochmann, SRSL’s chief life saving officer, climbed into the dumpster and carefully lifted the pup, later named Malea, out. She carried Malea to her Jeep before heading off to SRSL’s headquarters.
They were on their way back to the shelter with the resilient girl when another urgent call came in. This time, a pair of puppies dumped in a parking lot downtown needed their help.
Without skipping a beat, the rescue team — including Malea — changed gears and headed toward the pups.
Moments later, the two young puppies, named Hocus and Pocus, were in the Jeep with Malea and the rescue team. With everyone in tow, they finally headed to the shelter.
Unfortunately, SRSL reached max capacity before Malea, Hocus and Pocus were rescued. There was no space at the shelter for any of the three pups, but luckily they were able to find a near-perfect solution.
“The puppies are in foster care, and Malea is out on a Rovernight,” Lochmann told The Dodo. “That’s where someone takes a dog from the shelter for a few overnights.”
All three pups are now in warm and loving homes, but they’re still searching for their forever families.
As SRSL sees it, it shouldn’t take long for dogs as wonderful as these little ones to find the right match.
“They will have a good life …” SRSL wrote on Facebook. “They’re perfect!”
To help Malea, Hocus Pocus and other dogs get the care they need, you can make a donation to Stray Rescue of St. Louis here.