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

A dog who was abandoned in a taped-up trash bag two weeks before Christmas has found his forever home.

"When Wally arrived at our ARL Animal Services location, he weighed just 23 pounds and was extremely weak. He needed IV fluids, a special feeding program and close monitoring by our veterinarians," the Animal Rescue League shared in a Facebook post. "But, as the weeks went by, he slowly gained weight and began to recover."

"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.

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"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 Miglin told local CBS news outlet KCII.

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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.

"The male bulldog's body was inside a plastic trash bag, secured closed with tape, rendering the dog unable to walk. The dog's head was outside of the bag. The person who reported finding the dog said that what caught his attention as he drove by and saw the trash bag," the Des Moines Police Department explained in a Facebook post.

"Energetic, always interested, rolls on you, wants belly rubs," Miglin described the one-and-a-half-year-old pup to the Des 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 — 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 via Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa.

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