The trash bag was moving, slowly inching into the road. She eased a foot on her car's brake. She wasn't sure if her sickness made her imagine things or if the bag was truly moving.
With her car almost stopping, she stuck her head out of the window to see what was happening. That's when she saw it clearly.
An Afternoon Drive
When Lizzie decided to go home that afternoon, she'd only wanted to spend the rest of the day away from all the hassle of work.
She'd been working throughout the week despite her sickness and couldnt wait to get home. But such a simple drive would result in one of the most life-altering experiences she'd ever faced.
Lizzie Happy
Lizzie Happy was your average thirty-five-year-old mom living in Denver, Colorado. A single parent looking to forge a good life for her tiny family, Lizzie lived with her two daughters Nancy and Tina.
Their life was always quiet, given Lizzie's occupation as a librarian and the fact that her kids were both under five. But what would happen that afternoon would propel their lives into the public spotlight.
A Change Of Plans
Lizzie had worked as a librarian for more than a decade before the incident took place. Her occupation was usually as laid back as her personal life.
She'd report early in the morning for work and clock out in the evening. That fateful week, Lizzie had come down with a terrible cold that would pull her from her daily routine.
Superwoman
It'd been a great week until Lizzie started coughing. Her nose grew stuffy, and her throat sore. Her joints were aching before she knew it, and her head was pounding.
But although she was far from her best self, Lizzie didn't shun her responsibilities as a mom and provider. She got her kids ready for school, had her sister drive them, and reported for work. Then everything started falling apart.
Being Sick
First came the fatigue and the insistent coughing. Then muscle pains followed. Lizzie's boss noted that she was under the weather and told her to take the rest of the day off.
It was an hour past noon, and Lizzie thought it'd be a good idea to take her boss up on that offer. She had no idea what was waiting for her on the way home.
Going Home
Lizzie got into her car and began her long drive home. She couldn't wait to jump into bed and sleep. As tired as she was, she took a different route home, hoping to avoid traffic.
As expected, the road ahead was clear, and Lizzie was cruising as carefully as she could. But as she reached the open road, she noticed something ahead that made her brows furrow.
Getting A Closer Look
A black trash bag that was far ahead on the roadside immediately caught her attention. She leaned forward to get a closer look, finding it odd that someone would throw trash on the empty roads.
Lizzie didn't think much of it after noting she was looking at a trash bag. But as she got closer, she noticed something interesting about the bag.
What's Happening
The trash bag was moving, vigorously shambling all over the road. Lizzie eased on her car's brake. She wasn't sure if her sickness made her imagine things or if the bag was truly moving.
With her car almost stopping, she stuck her head out of the window to see what was happening. That's when she saw it clearly.
What's In The Bag?
Something was stuck inside the bag - a creature, from the look of things. It was jumping about and making a strange sound as the trash bag moved across the road.
Not knowing what to do, Lizzie pulled out her phone and started recording the incident. Her curiosity was telling her to get out and investigate, while her fear kept her rooted to her seat.
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 mouth hung open 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 whispered, beckoning the tiny fella to her. The pup ran to her and licked her hands while wagging her tail. Lizzie helped it into the car while her phone kept 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 someone doing something like this.
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.