PETERSBURG, Va. — The driver of a trash truck in Virginia had a close call when he was about to empty a dumpster early Friday morning.
"As I pull up to the can and went to dump it, a dog popped out,” said Jermaine Jackson, who has worked for Waste Management for 26 years.
The startling sight on Old Street left Jackson rattled since he had already lifted the dumpster and was about to empty its contents into his truck.
"It's kind of sad because she's sitting there with a sad face like get me out of here,” he said. “If I didn't see her, she'd be in the back of the truck right now or she could have gotten crushed."
Jackson said he lowered the dumpster, got out of the truck, and checked to make sure the dog was friendly before freeing her.
“Her tail started wagging," he said.
Jackson built the dog a makeshift shelter nearby, since it was raining heavily, and called animal control.
Unfortunately, they were not open yet, so the pup ended up on Frances Verschuure’s front porch a few blocks away.
"We got some blankets, we got some food, we got some water and called animal control," Verschuure said. "So in the meantime, we just sat out here with her. She was as sweet as she could be."
Animal control workers arrived to care for the dog.
"They did say she was full of milk and recently had puppies," Verschuures said.
"We were glad to get her to another home. Animal control was as just as gentle and kind as they could be, and I hope she finds a good home!"
"She just got a great attitude, she just smiled like, 'Thank you, thank you for getting me out of here.'"
Jackson was happy to save the dog, but he does not believe she climbed into the dumpster on her own.
"I think somebody threw her in there because where the dock is at, she's too short to jump on that dock," he explained.
Jackson was saddened by the experience since there are so many people willing to take care of needy animals.
"I got two dogs of my own, and I could never think about throwing them in the trash can just because I couldn't take care of them,” he said. “You wouldn't want nobody to throw you in the trash can if they couldn't take care of you."
This story was originally published by Jake Burns and the web staff at WTVR.