Abandoned Puppy Buried in Trash Rescued from Ohio Dumpster and Given New Home

"It's shocking seeing a dog in the dumpster. It’s not something you usually see. You know they don’t belong there," refuse collection supervisor Logan Sieg said of the pup

Photo: Columbus Refuse

A refuse operator helped rescue a puppy after spotting the canine in an apartment complex dumpster in Columbus, Ohio.

David Carlson was servicing the dumpsters of the apartment complex last week when he discovered a puppy "struggling to get out from under trash" in one of the large bins, according to a Facebook post from the Columbus Department of Public Service.

Carlson called his supervisor Logan Sieg who came to the apartment complex and "entered the dumpster to dig the puppy out and rescue it," the department said.

"It's shocking seeing a dog in the dumpster. It's not something you usually see. You know they don't belong there," Sieg told WBNS. "It was upsetting to see someone just throw it in there and get rid of it like that."

After Carlson and Sieg rescued the pup, the workers contacted the Franklin County Dog Shelter, which took over care of the dog.

The Columbus Department of Public Service added online that "the puppy is doing great" and thanked the workers for "going above and beyond in service."

The puppy has since been adopted and named Duke by Brandon Dawson and his wife, according to WSYX.

"We walked down the last row, and they let us sit down and see the dog, and immediately, he just jumped up and gave us a hug," Dawson told the outlet.

"It was love at first sight kind of thing," the new owner added. "Neither one of us wanted to let him go, and after that, I told them we will give him a chance."

Duke's new owner called the puppy's dumpster backstory "such a shame."

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"He has full potential to live a healthy, long life and for someone to take that away from him is cruel and wrong," Dawson told the outlet.

Dawson added that Duke is still recovering from the ordeal.

"He has a couple of incisions on his back paw right here, and he's got a couple of sores on his back paws, and they said it was from urine burns from laying in their own urine," he said.

Overall, Duke's family is grateful that Carlson discovered the dog and helped give the pet a second chance.

"I am thankful for his find," Dawson said about the refuse operator. "My wife is thankful for his find and we're just super happy that we got him."