Rescuers feared the worst rushing to save dog stranded on Texas balcony. Then it moved

As first responders climbed a ladder to rescue a dog abandoned on an apartment balcony, worry sank in.

The dog, left alone when its Houston, Texas, owner went out of town, was not moving as it lay on the corner of the littered second-floor balcony.

But then there was motion.

“We noticed the dog took in a breath, so we moved quickly to get him off the balcony,” Sgt. Joseph Soto with Harris County Constable Precinct 1 said in an Aug. 23 news release.

Video shared by constables show multiple first responders bringing the dog to safety.

Constables said the dog is now under veterinary care at the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Jay Chase, the chief animal cruelty investigator with Houston SPCA, said the dog was “past cutting it close,” KHOU reported. It was without water for several hours when it was discovered.

“When they got on the patio, it looked like the dog had expired. As they investigated, the dog lifted its head and gasped and they realized it was alive,” Chase said.

Constables did not say if the dog’s owner was cited but said animal cruelty is a felony in Texas and punishable up to a $10,000 fine and two years in prison.

“The dog is improving and on its way to health,” Chase told KHOU.