“I can’t imagine doing that to another living being, let alone a helpless little dog and then just throwing it away like trash.” It was a miracle he was discovered in time: NHS reports that, a half hour after Animal Control responded to the call, a truck came and emptied the dumpster.

The puppy was taken to the Nebraska Humane Society. He was sedated and the staff got to work removing the tape. They had to shave his fur to remove all the debris. They wrote on Facebook that while the pup had mild skin irritation, he was “otherwise healthy and seemed to be in good spirits despite his condition” and “perked up and was wagging his tail.” With the tape removed, the staff was thankfully able to find a microchip. It turned out the dog was named Leo, and he had gone missing a few days prior.

Leo’s owner Erin Dillon-Pasillas says the dog slipped out of the house while she was taking her son to school. She had spent days panicking and contacting shelters about her lost pet. “Every day got more stressful… it was just crickets,” she told KETV. “I was shaking, calling them. You know, thinking, please be my dog, please be my dog.”

Erin was relieved to have her dog back, but was emotional over what happened to poor Leo. “He’s the sweetest dog! I don’t know why anyone would do this,” she told NHS. Leo is now recovering from the ordeal and Erin said she would give him a nice bath and a vet check-up. It’s not clear who did this to Leo. NHS says that there are no cameras near the dumpster where Leo was found. They encourage anyone with information to contact Animal Services at 402-444-7800, and are offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. What a heartbreaking sight — it’s unimaginable that anyone would duct tape a sweet dog like that, but we’re glad Leo is safe and back home. We hope the culprit is found and faces justice.