Dog Found 'Abandoned and Emaciated' in Trash Bag Last Month Finds Forever Home with Foster Family

Mar. 15, 2025

Wally the bulldog.Photo:Animal Rescue League of Iowa

Dog Found in Trash Bag adopted

Animal Rescue League of Iowa

A dog who wasabandoned in a taped-up trash bagtwo weeks before Christmas has found his forever home.

“Once Wally was healthy enough to continue healing in a home environment, he had a family ready to care for him!” the post continued, revealing that his foster family officially adopted him.

“Dogs are resilient. Despite the circumstances, whatever he came from — and none of us really know, we just know how we found him — he’s not holding on to that. I wish we could all let go like he does,” Wally’s new owner Dave Miglintold local CBS news outlet KCII.

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Wally the bulldog.Des Moines Police

Wally the bulldog

Des Moines Police

On Dec. 10, 2024, the Des Moines Police Department reported that a good samaritan had dropped a young bulldog off at a shelter after discovering him on the side of the road, “abandoned and emaciated” in a taped-up trash bag, with only his head sticking out.

Wally the bulldog

“Energetic, always interested, rolls on you, wants belly rubs,” Miglin described the one-and-a-half-year-old pup to theDes Moines Register. “This dog loves to just cuddle and just wants to be loved. He will literally flop on his back to get his belly scratched. It’s beautiful. We’re so happy.”

Miglin told the Register that after seeing the “heartbreaking” photos of Wally, they called the shelter “almost immediately that evening” and offered to foster. “How anyone could do this to him is crazy,” he added.

Wally the bulldog.Animal Rescue League of Iowa

Wally the bulldog

Wally — who’s named after Wallingford, Conn., where his new family hopes to visit — is “sensitive” about car traffic after his ordeal, but gets along with the other dogs in his home.

“He’s just a happy dog,” Dave Miglin said. “He’s just a sweet dog.”

According to the ARL, “no suspects have been positively identified at this time.”

The Des Moines Police Department requested that anyone who recognizes the bulldog or has relevant information about the dog should contact 515-248-6052, or submit an anonymous tip viaCrime Stoppers of Central Iowa.

source: people.com