Dog rescued after being trapped in a container for more than a week

US Coast Guard inspectors have rescued a dog that had been trapped for more than a week in a container on a cargo ship at a port in Texas.

The US Coast Guard inspection team randomly selected thousands of containers at the port in Houston on January 31 for inspection, US media reported on February 4. They heard barking and scraping sounds from the containers, which were stacked nearly 8 meters high.

The inspection team had to use a crane to lower the container. When the door was opened, a dog ran out. "He was exhausted, hungry and thirsty but very happy to see the people who saved him," according to the coast guard's Facebook post.

Video shared with the post shows the dog wagging its tail, sniffing around and drinking water after being rescued.

Dog rescued after being trapped in a container for more than a week — The US Coast Guard rescues a dog trapped in a shipping container at a port in Houston, Texas on January 31. Video: *USCG Heartland*

Coast Guard officials determined the dog, now named Connie, had been stranded for at least eight days and had not been fed or watered. It was emaciated and had a matted coat.

Officials said the container contained a discarded car from the Houston-Galveston area that was on its way to be sold for parts overseas. It is possible that Connie was in a car at a junkyard when she accidentally got into the container and became trapped. If she was not rescued, she could have been in the container for another week before the cargo ship arrived, and would have gone without food for two weeks.

The team took Connie to an animal rescue center, where she was cared for, treated for heartworms, and waited to be adopted. Many social media users expressed their desire to adopt Connie.