The man says he believes the dog was intentionally dumped in the 8-foot-tall bin
Credit: Good Morning America/YouTube
NEED TO KNOW
- A Houston garbage truck driver made an unexpected rescue after spotting a tiny dog alive in the back of his truck
- Believing someone had thrown the pup away, he called the SPCA before making a snap decision to adopt him
- Now named Hopper, the lucky dog has a forever home with the worker who saved his life
A waste management worker got the surprise of a lifetime — and a new companion — when he spotted an abandoned dog in the bed of his garbage truck.
Gabriel Wiley was on his usual pickup route in Houston in June when he dumped the contents of an 8-foot-tall trash can into the truck’s hopper — the large, open receptacle where garbage is collected in the back of the vehicle, according to Good Morning America.
Moments later, Wiley said he noticed something moving on a camera feed aimed at the back of the truck. He quickly realized it was a small, matted dog.
“When you see something like this, it’s like, man, I gotta call somebody,” Wiley, who has been driving a waste management truck for seven years, told GMA.
The Texan said he believes the dog had been tossed in the trash on purpose based on the significant height of the bin.
“He’s not able to jump in the trash can. Someone actually put him in the trash,” he explained.
Wiley said he immediately called his local SPCA shelter. But when shelter employees arrived to pick up the pooch, the father and grandfather said he made a quick decision.
“I just told them I wanted him,” he said.
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He added that he called his wife after he made the snap decision, and she also immediately said they should keep him.
The SPCA shaved, neutered and microchipped the dog, after which he — who Wiley later named Hopper — was reunited with his hero.
“He’s found home,” Wiley said.
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