Dog rescued after being thrown off bridge from moving car in plastic container, police say

A dog is lucky to be alive after she was allegedly thrown off of a bridge from a moving car while in a plastic container.

The incident happened on Wednesday when the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida received a call from a local area resident who was walking her dog when she found a dog that had been abandoned near a bridge and flagged down police for help, authorities said in a statement posted on social media.

“Our enforcement section received a call from law enforcement that someone had tossed a plastic tote over a bridge from a moving vehicle, said Orange County Animal Services in a statement detailing the incident. “The concerned resident had stated they thought there was a dog inside, as they could see it curled up inside from the top of the bridge.”

Authorities from the sheriff’s office along with an official from animal services then spent about 30 minutes attempting to get to the abandoned animal by “climbing through thick brush, crawling on [their] hands knees, and scaling a 15-foot wall,” before finally reaching her.

“What they found was a young female dog inside a small blue plastic tote that had been thrown away like garbage,” said Orange County Animal Services. “Our officer along with the deputy had to risk injury to climb down the steep embankment … We're grateful for their courage and their quick response.”

The dog -- who the deputy named Daisy -- was miraculously unhurt from the fall and was taken in to be cared for by animal services to get prepped for adoption. The 4-year-old dog has since been adopted to a loving home, authorities said.

“We will never understand why people do these cruel things to animals, but we feel fortunate that so many residents see something and say something,” said animal services.

While the story may have a happy ending, Orange County Animal Services took the opportunity to warn the public about committing such atrocious acts towards animals.

“We don't know why this happened. The location where Daisy was dumped is a short drive from the shelter,” animal services said. “There are literally hundreds of private rescues that would be willing to take in a sweet and gentle dog for foster or adoption. And yet someone chose instead to commit this act of cruelty.”

“If you see something, say something,” they continued. “There is no reason for animals to be treated like this. Daisy was lucky someone saw her, and contacted us immediately. If you have information about possible cruel or neglectful treatment of animals, please contact us, your local law enforcement agency, or our friends at Central Florida Crimeline.”