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He was the only puppy left alive in a dumpster, in 100°F (37°C) heat with no way out. We got him out, but the illness that had most likely killed his siblings had come with him.
His name is a nod to the singer Bruce Springsteen, and to the quick bath that washed away the dust of the pit where we found him.
Watch the video11:00Abandoned Puppy was Thrown in the Dumpster and Struggling to Survive Until This Happened · June 18, 2022 · Open on YouTube ↗
A group of puppies was being thrown into a dumpster. That was what a caller reported to us, and it was enough to send us out searching the dumpsters nearby, one after another. In the first one there was nothing, not even a trace of dogs, so we drove on.
At the next location, we heard sounds. They grew louder and louder, and then we found him, a small puppy on a blue cloth at the foot of a concrete wall. There should have been others. He was alone, in 100°F (37°C) heat, with no shade and no way out.
We were too late for his brothers and sisters. People had dumped the puppies there, and he was the only one who survived. Still, he lay on his back in the grass, lifted a paw and let our rescuer rub his belly. He was so relieved.
We lifted him out of there and set off for home. There had been no food or water for him in that place, and he was dehydrated, so before anything else we gave him water. Then, still in the car, it was time for his first proper meal.
With water and food in him, he became so sleepy that he could not keep his eyes open. He had a quick nap, but we noticed that something was off. He was crying out most of the time, and we did not yet know why.
There were good moments too. Once we had cleaned him up, his coat turned out to be white under the dust, with a dark patch on his back. He went up to a grown dog at home and sniffed, nose to nose. Then he wanted another nap, and after a few cuddles he was sound asleep.
Our next stop was the vet, and it was on the drive there, as he slept on the car seat, that his health got worse. He vomited everything and lost all his appetite, and the wait for our turn was long. He had a fever, and we were starting to worry. Then came the tests, and another wait for the results.
The results showed that he was very sick, with both parvovirus and canine coronavirus, and most likely that was what had killed his brothers and sisters. Weighing just 2.8 lb (1.3 kg), he would stay in intensive care at a private dog clinic, and we would cover all the costs. His chances were not great. But he alone had come out of that dumpster alive, and we believed he could survive this too.
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