The trash bag was slowly making its way towards the road. She lightly stepped on the brakes, she had no idea if the movements in the bag were her imagination or not.
The car was slowly coming to a halt as she peeked out of her window. Once her eyes landed on the bag, they widened in surprise. She could now see what was really going on.
She Wanted To Go Home
Upon deciding to go home after work that afternoon, Lizzie wanted to escape the rigors of work for a while. She was exhausted and desperately needed a break.
Despite her illness, she had worked all week and was looking forward to getting home. However, such a basic commute would lead to one of the most life-changing events she'd ever experienced.
A Quiet Life
35-year-old Lizzie happy was a single mom who lived in Denver, Colorado. She wanted nothing more than to give her two daughters, Tina and Nancy, the lives that they deserve.
There was not much excitement in their lives as Lizzie worked as a librarian and her daughters were both under the age of five. What happened that afternoon, however, would thrust their lives into the public eye.
A Laid Back Woman
Lizza had been a librarian for the last twenty years, and what she did for work was indicative that she enjoyed the quieter side of life.
The young woman would arrive for work early in the morning and clock out late at night. Lizzie had been ill with a terrible cold for a week, preventing her from following her usual routine.
Responsibilities
Everything was going perfectly until Lizzie developed a terrible cough. Her throat swelled, and her nose became congested. Her joints were throbbing, and her head was hammering before she realized it.
Even though Lizzie did not feel at her best, she had to push through it as she had a family to take care of. Her sister drove her children to school, and she reported to work after leaving her house. Things started to go south from there.
Too Sick To Work
The weariness and persistent coughing came first. Then came the muscle pains. Lizzie's employer noticed she was sick and told her she could go home.
After trying her best to work, Lizzie decided to listen to her boss and went home at around one. What awaited her on the way home was completely unknown to her.
Relief
Lizzie grabbed her things and walked to her car. She was looking forward to climbing into bed and having a nap. She decided to take a longer route home with the hope of avoiding traffic.
The road was completely free of cars, but Lizzie made sure to remain vigilant. However, as she approached the open road, she became aware of something that caused her brows to furrow.
Who Would Do This?
She was immediately drawn to the black garbage bag on the roadside. It puzzled her to see trash on the deserted roadways, so she leaned in closer for a closer look.
After noticing she was staring at a garbage bag, Lizzie didn't give it any thought. As she came closer, though, she spotted something unusual about the bag.
What Was Going On?
With vigor, the trash bag wandered all over the road. Lizzy put her foot down on the brake pedal. It was difficult for her to tell if the bag was moving or if her illness was causing her to see things.
Seeing what was going on, she looked out of her window just before her car came to a stop. Her realization made her jump.
Something Was Stuck!
According to the outside of the bag, something was stuck. The trash bag jumped about, hissing as it moved.
She grabbed her phone and began to record the situation, unsure of what to do. In spite of her curiosity, she remained seated, unable to leave due to her apprehension.
Stepping Up
A minute passed, and Lizzie knew she couldn't stay in the car anymore. She threw her door open with her phone recording and carefully took her steps toward the moving trash bag.
Out of the car, she could hear growls and snarls emanating from the black polythene bag. At first, she was scared, but then the snarls became whining and crying. She couldn't step away now.
Unwrapping The Bag
Lizzie took a deep breath and stepped near the bag. She inched closer and gently poked it with her phone. Whatever was inside whined, the sound telling her that the animal was in distress.
Throwing all caution to the wind, Lizzie unwrapped the bag as fast as possible, her lips parting when she saw what awaited her inside.
The Worst
She'd thought the worst when she first saw the trash bag move. Her imagination told her a giant snake was waiting for her inside. But even then, she couldn’t leave the poor animal trapped inside the bag.
She neared and opened the bag as quickly as possible and then jumped back, but what came out made her inch closer as her lips curled.
A Good Boy
"A puppy," Lizzie intoned, beckoning the tiny fella to her. The pup ran to her and licked her hands while wagging her tail. It must’ve tangled itself while playing with the bag. Lizzie helped it into the car with her phone recording and drove away.
She sent out a notice on her social media about the dog as soon as she got home. As an animal lover, she couldn't imagine what the pup's owner was going through.
No Tag
The puppy had a collar on, but he didn’t have a tag. Lizzie knew he had been someone’s pet, but how had he ended up in a trash bag on the side of the road?
Had he been stolen or intentionally dumped by his owners? Her heart sank as she thought about how cruel and heartless people could be. She shared his photo on Facebook in hopes that his owner would come forward.
To The Vet
“If this is your puppy, let me know,” Lizzie wrote on Facebook, “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 posting a photo on social media, the first thing Lizzie did was take the poor pup to the vet for a checkup. The vet determined that he was only three months old and gave him a clean bill of health.
Going Viral
Lizzie’s story was shared so many times that it went viral on social media. Soon, she was giving interviews with the media about discovering the puppy.
"The bag was tied off in a knot, so I carefully tore a corner and looked inside," she told The Dodo. "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."
Her Worst Fears
Even though her story had gone viral, nobody came forward to claim their puppy. Lizzie wasn’t too surprised - but it only confirmed her worst fears.
She had a sinking feeling that it was his owner who had cruelly dumped him on the side of the road. And she just couldn’t wrap her head around why anyone would do such an awful thing.
A Huge Problem
According to The Humane Society, 6.3 million pets are surrendered to animal shelters in America each year. Around 3.1 million are dogs, and 3.2 million are cats.
But whoever had dumped the tiny pup hadn’t even done the right thing and taken him to a shelter for a chance at life. But abandonment of companion animals isn’t just a huge problem in the U.S. - it’s a problem worldwide.
How To Help
The best ways to help dogs and cats are to spay and neuter your animals to prevent unwanted litters and support your local animal shelter.
Millions of dogs and cats are euthanized every year - spaying and neutering as many pets as possible will ease the overpopulation problem. If you want a pet, don’t support animal breeders - instead, adopt a dog or cat from a shelter.
Home
A month passed without anyone claiming the puppy. Lizzie and her daughters had already incorporated him into their family. Lizzie’s video also made her internet famous, with people commending her for her bravery and heart of gold.
Although she’d recovered from her cold, she was glad that such a dark experience had given rise to one of the best things for her family. The puppy, who they named Pete, was where he was always meant to be. But this wasn’t the last time she’d rescue an animal in need.
Little Visitor
About a year after Lizzie rescued Pete, Lizzie, who was shelving books in the historical nonfiction section at the library she worked at, noticed something peculiar curled up on one of the shelves.
She’d seen the odd rat in the library during her time there, but she had never seen a creature like this up-close before.
A Brown Bat
Not wanting to disturb the little critter, Lizzie quietly called the library director to confirm that the animal was indeed what she thought it was. He came over and couldn’t believe his eyes.
No - her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. Curled up next to a book on the shelf was a cute little brown bat. And it was fast asleep.
Calling Animal Control
Lizzie, taking care not to wake the sleeping bat, called the local animal services. Officer Roy Bass arrived 20 minutes later.
“He was extremely calm and easygoing about the situation, even allowing us to take a quick photo of the bat with the book ‘Bats at the Library’ by Brian Lies,” Lizzie said in an interview. “He then gently moved the bat into a box and closed the lid quickly.” But how had the bat gotten in?
Bat Facts
The Little brown bat is found all over the northern U.S. and most parts of Canada. They live in colonies that can grow to hundreds of thousands of individuals.
Bat colonies gather at nesting sites, called roosts. Bat colonies will have several different types of roosts - some for resting or napping during the day, and others for shelter at night. The Little brown bat only eats insects.
Natural Pest Control
While how the bat had broken into the library for a nap is anyone’s guess, it’s not uncommon to see bats in the libraries in Portugal.
In fact, bats are welcome guests. In these libraries. The logic is that the bats protect the books from pests like moths and other insects that eat paper and old manuscripts. However, bats aren’t welcome in most parts of the world because of their bad reputation.
Bad Rap
Bats have been persecuted all over the world. They are thought to be carriers of disease and suckers of blood. But the truth is, bats have an undeserved bad reputation.
Contrary to popular belief, most bats don’t have rabies. In fact, you are statistically more likely to contract rabies from a dog rather than a bat. So why do bats get such a bad rap?
Pathogens
But, concerns over bats carrying disease aren’t completely unfounded. They have gotten a bad reputation from the high profile pathogens they do carry, like Ebola, Marburg, and Nipah - all can be deadly.
Nevertheless, bats are a vital part of the ecosystem and help the environment in countless ways. Lizzie was an animal lover, and she would help any creature. So, what happened to the bat in the library?
Back Into The Wild
The little brown bat that Lizzie had found was released back into the wild by Animal Control. They released it in a nearby wildlife reserve.
But this wasn’t the only strange encounter for the library staff. Because the library was near a wildlife reserve, they have found squirrels in the Storytime room and stray cats among the stacks before.
Preserving All Life
Whether you encounter a domestic or wild animal in distress, you should always try to help if it’s safe to do so. If you can’t do anything personally, call Animal Control or someone else who can.
Lizzie knows that all animals serve a purpose on earth and are part of a complex ecosystem. If you want to do more to help, reach out to your local animal shelter or wildlife conservation center.