Helen Cooper, a runner in Derby, England, heard what she believed to be a child’s toy making noises from a garbage bin while out running, according to ITV. Upon further investigation, she saw a newborn puppy, about one day old, half inside a plastic bag and weighted down by a brick.
“It’s absolutely disgusting,” she told ITV. “Even if the owners had a dog that got pregnant accidentally and they couldn’t afford to keep the puppies, there’s no need to put a living thing into a bin. No reason. It’s awful.”
Cooper scooped up the puppy—a spaniel or cockapoo—which fit into the palm of her hand, and brought him to a local veterinarian. She told the outlet it didn’t appear to have any visible injuries.
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Cooper usually runs the same route throughout the week, but on Sunday morning, she decided to mix it up—and she might not have found the pup had she not.
“I heard a noise and thought, ‘What’s that?’” she told ITV. “At first I thought I’d just leave it and carry on. I actually did go to walk off but thought, ‘No, something doesn’t feel right.’”
Cooper posted on social media that the last she heard, the puppy was doing well.
“It’s amazing,” she told ITV. “It’s weird and crazy that it is okay, considering how I found it. I’d love to be able to follow his journey to a happy ending.”
Freelance Writer
Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World, the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a seven-time marathoner with a best of 3:31—but she is most proud of her 1:32 half, 19:44 5K, and 5:33 mile. Her work has been published in The Boston Globe, Popular Mechanics, The Wall Street Journal Buy Side, Cooking Light, CNN, Glamour, The Associated Press, and Livestrong.com.
