Pregnant Stray Dog Found In Texas Shipping Container Ready To Begin New Life In DC Area

“We know we will find her an amazing home.”

Two weeks after she was found trapped in a shipping container by U.S. Coast Guard members in Houston, Texas, “Connie the Container Dog” preparing to find her forever home in the D.C. Metro area.

Connie was accidentally discovered by a team of marine inspectors from the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston on January 31. They were randomly selecting from thousands of shipping containers for inspection at the Port of Houston when they heard barking and scratching coming from one of the containers stacked about 25 feet in the air.

“When they lowered the container and opened the door, a dog popped out!” U.S. Coast Guard Heartland shared in a now-viral Facebook post.

Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Jose Reyes, who helped rescue Connie, toldThe Washington Post that her incessant barking likely saved her from being shipped overseas. The container she was found in was reportedly headed for Dubai.

It’s unknown how Connie ended up in a shipping container “full of totaled vehicles and car parts” in the first place, but it’s likely she was living in a junkyard and was accidentally loaded into the container, where she remained stuck without food and water for at least a week.

Despite being tired and hungry, the two-year-old pup was “very happy to see her rescuers,” the Coast Guard said.

“She walked out on her own immediately. She was very, very happy to see all of us,” Reyes recalled to the Post. “She just wanted to be pet the entire time.”

After giving her some cuddles and much-needed water, the inspection team took Connie to the Pasadena Animal Shelter in nearby Pasadena.

That same day, staff at Maryland-based Forever Changed Animal Rescue (FCAR) sent an email to Pasadena Animal Shelter offering to care for Connie. Founder Andrea Deoudes had come across her story on Facebook and wanted to help.

“I thought, ‘What a survivor to make it through all of that,’” Deoudes told the Post.

The Texas shelter agreed and sent Connie on her way via private plane this week. Deoudes said that staff treated her “like a celebrity” when she arrived at FCAR “with her tail wagging ready for some treats!”

But the drama didn’t end there. During an initial exam, Deoudes, who also works as a veterinarian, discovered something unexpected. Connie was pregnant.

"She was taken directly to our rescue Founder, Director, and Veterinarian for a full workup, including bloodwork, x-rays, and an ultrasound. Upon exam, we noticed that Connie had some mammary development. Her x-rays showed some minor concerns, and when the ultrasound was performed, SURPRISE CONNIE IS PREGNANT!!!" FCAR wrote in an update on Wednesday.

"The fetuses have strong heartbeats and were bouncing around, so while her pregnancy is guarded due to her being without food and water for 8 days or more, we are hopeful given what we could see," the update continued.

Deoudes will care for Connie until she gives birth to her litter. Barring additional health issues, the dogs will eventually all be put up for adoption locally.

“We know we will find her an amazing home,” Deoudes told the Post. “It’s going to be tough because we’re going to receive a million applications.”

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