Puppy found in grocery bag
Rescuer and new owner is trying to piece together the little dog’s origins
Angela Asher had just lost her sister to cancer.
On that April evening she was grieving, and joined a friend for a walk around the King West neighbourhood where they live. They strolled across the Garrison Crossing toward the large park off of Fort York Boulevard.
From a distance, she saw something red hanging off a tree. When she walked over to check it out, she realized it was a red Metro grocery bag dangling from a branch.
Inside the bag was a small, rustcoloured puppy, curled up and quivering in fear.
Asher admitted she’s always been more of a cat person — dogs, and especially puppies, are out of her wheelhouse.
But, she was instantly filled with the instinct to care for the little cockapoo, who she named Lucky.
Fears that because Lucky is only a few months old, that her siblings could also out there, abandoned, spurred her into action. Asher, who doesn’t use social media much, has reached out to neighbours and had them post on Facebook groups — rumours of other puppies, some in Liberty Village, another nearby on King West, have surfaced, but none have resulted in anything concrete.
Lucky was found with only a handful of kibble and her vaccination records, but there was no information in the documents on her previous owner, her parents or the people who might have left her hanging from a tree in downtown Toronto.
Since finding Lucky, Asher has taken her to a pet store to get checked out. Staff there confirmed that the puppy is healthy and up to date with her shots (as shown on the vaccination records), but Asher has not yet taken Lucky to the vet. The dog did not appear to be microchipped or have any other identifying information.
Cockapoos, Lucky’s breed, can have several puppies in a litter, so in theory she may have siblings. Asher wants to start piecing together the mysterious origins of her new dog.
“We just need to raise awareness for these things happening. We have to look into bags and things, and not just ignore them and walk on by,” Asher urged.
Word spread faster than it usually does in her building, as the community banded around Lucky. Asher had an abundance of neighbours asking after Lucky, and offering help and supplies
Asher, who works as an actress, is usually someone who keeps to herself — but this ordeal has “restored my faith in humanity. I could just cry right now,” she told the Star.
“I’m just sticking by her, and teaching her, and being just super attentive. Now she talks back to the cat, which is awesome,” Asher said.
“I now call the three of us Charlie’s ankles because this little one likes to bite my ankles.”
But, questions about Lucky’s abandonment still nag at Asher.
The problem of pet abandonment is not new — animal advocates once warned that stopping shelters from accepting unwanted pets would lead to a crisis on the city’s streets. Parks Canada warned in 2022 of a worrying trend of pet abandonment in Scarborough’s Rouge National Urban Park. The Star followed the tale of Max, a dog abandoned in a Toronto parkette, last year.
Phil Nichols, chief executive officer of the Toronto Humane Society, said in an email to the Star, “As an organization committed to improving the lives of animals, we acknowledge that leaving a puppy in a bag in a tree is horrific and deeply concerning.
“While we can’t comment on the number of instances, we are grateful that such occurrences are few and far between. This underscores the importance of cruelty laws, which need to exist to protect animals from harm,” Nichols added.
But, he clarified that the vast majority of instances of pet abandonment are due to a lack of access to pet care and resources.
“This is why there is a growing crisis concerning access to pet care in our city. Many families are facing tough choices between putting food on the table and in their pets’ bowls.”
Nichols emphasized the Toronto Humane Society’s community days, urgent care program and pet food bank as ways the organization is supporting families and their pets.