KCEN News
An abandoned dog was found Saturday in a backpack on the side of a road in Killeen, Texas.
The suburb of over 150,000 is home to Texas A&M University-Central Texas.
Gina Ray, who discovered the discarded dachshund, has since taken in the malnourished pup and spoke with local news station KENS5 about her new pet.
“I guess being nosy paid off this time,” Ray recalled to the outlet of her decision to pull over and check out an “oddly-positioned” bag. “At first, all I saw was the top of his head, I thought it was a little baby, and then he popped out.”
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Ray and her mother-in-law gently took the animal out of the bag, which was filled with “pee and feces,” according to the good Samaritans.
“The goal is to get his weight up,” Ray said, adding that the 6-pound canine needs to gain several pounds to reach a healthy weight.
Ray also explained that the dog — found covered in “nicks and cuts” — would have to have one of his back legs amputated, which she learned after taking the animal to a local vet.
“To me, anybody that can do this to an animal that’s living and breathing, what else can they do?” Ray questioned. “Can they do it to a human being? I mean, why would they do that?”
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Nicknaming the dachshund the “Road Warrior” for now, Ray and her mother-in-law are adamant about getting the dog back to good health.
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“He’s very calm. He loves you even though he’s been abused,” Ray said of the dog’s temperament, noting that their new pet is eating well, and even though Road Warrior’s mobility is limited, the animal is getting his “confidence” back.
“He will be babied and spoiled,” Ray added.
