When a woman in Kentucky was running late for work, she decided to take a shortcut through a back road, but along the way she saw a bag on the side of the road … moving. She knew she had to open it up, and was shocked upon seeing what was inside.
In August 2016, Malissa Sergent Lewis was a little late for work and, trying to save some time, took a shortcut through a quiet back road, where she found a trash bag.
Speaking to The Dodo, she said, “I saw this trash bag in the road, and I thought to myself, ‘Did I just see that bag move?’ The closer I got, I realized it was moving. I could hardly wrap my mind around that. Something was alive in that bag, and I just knew I had to get whatever it was out.”
While seeing a trash bag moving on the side of the road might deter most people, Lewis was different. She didn’t know what was inside and whether or not it was dangerous. But she knew she had to help regardless.
“The bag was tied off in a knot, so I carefully tore a corner and looked inside,” she recalled. “It was a puppy. And he sure was glad to see me. As soon as I opened it up, and he saw light, he just started wagging his tail. He knew he was OK. I couldn’t believe it.”
Though the puppy had a collar, Lewis couldn’t identify it as there was no tag, so she took him with her to an elementary school where she works. After all, she was still late to work.
“I just put him in my lap and drove to school. I couldn’t just leave him in the car, so I brought him in with me. The principal saw me and said, ‘You have a dog!’ I said, ‘It’s a long story.’”
At work, she called her son. He came and then took the dog home, where it would be safe. Later, the mother and son brought the puppy, which they named Hefty after the circumstances around which it was found, to a vet for a checkup.
“We got him his shots. He seems happy and healthy,” she said.
Despite everything he had been through, the puppy was happy, healthy, and full of life.
To find a puppy in a bag, Lewis said, “Who could do something like that to any animal? I don’t care who you are; everybody loves puppies. It’s a real coldhearted person to put an animal, any animal, in a garbage bag and dump it on the side of the road. They had bad, bad intentions doing that.”
Lewis called the police and told them what happened. Since the puppy didn’t have any identification tags, the police didn’t think anyone was going to come forth to claim it. Lewis decided to adopt the puppy and give him a new wonderful fur-ever home.
Things are now looking up for the puppy. The family is also happy to adopt the puppy. Lewis said, “We all love the puppy. He’s going to be loved, and have a good home with us. I’m just glad I was in the right place at the right time to save him. That’s what it was.”
Lewis posted the video she took of the puppy in the trash bag on Facebook, as well as a second video she took of the happy and healthy puppy in her lap. She captioned both clips:
“If this is your puppy, let me know. If you are the scoundrel who put it in a garbage bag and tossed it on the side of the road...you’re a sicko.”
After The Dodo posted a new video about the story, it went viral again, with almost 60 million views and over 672,000 shares.
That morning, Lewis only thought about taking a shortcut to get to work. But because of her bravery in the face of the unknown and the kindness she showed, she was able to save a life.
It seems Lewis really was in the right place at the right time.
