Santa Clarita Family Adopts Puppy Who Was Left For Dead In Dumpster

SANTA CLARITA (CBSLA.com) — A puppy rescued from a Riverside apartment complex trash dumpster last week went home with a Santa Clarita family Thursday.

Mel and Lisa Barnes took home the Rottweiler-hound mix from Riverside Animal Services.

"We are so happy and so grateful. That's all that I can say, and I'm just glad we can take him home," Lisa Barnes said.

25 families wrote essays explaining why they should adopt him after CBS2/KCAL9 reported the rescue story.

"We haven't even slept since we found out how fortunate we were to be chosen, and now that we see him here we just don't want to even let him go," Mel Barnes said.

The approximately 20-pound, 6-month-old puppy was tied up in a white garbage bag and was near death when an officer found him, according to officials.

"He was bones. Bones. You could see every bone in his body.  He hadn't been fed for a while. He was very malnourished. Very underweight," Tonya Ornellas of Riverside Animal Services said.

The dog, known as Pongo (for a character in "101 Dalmatians"), has been fattened up and the vets don't see any long term issues.

There is no word on whether or not the Barnes family will keep the puppy's name.

RELATED STORY: Adorable Rottweiler-Mix Puppy Left For Dead In Riverside Garbage Dumpster