The family renamed their new pup Norman after the street he was found and rescued on.
LOS ANGELES — A Gardena, California police officer adopted a puppy on Christmas Eve after rescuing him from a self-compacting trashcan outside a local church days prior.
Gardena Police Department Sargent Nick Beerling was called about “faint whimpers and cries” coming from an automatic trashcan on Normandie Avenue in southern California Dec. 19, according to nonprofit spcaLA South Bay Pet Adoption Center.
Animal control and the fire department were called to help free the dog from the bin. Once the lock was broken and they had access inside, officers saw a 1-year-old terrier, according to WJAC.
“(We saw) the little dog, terrier type dog sitting on top of the trash, kind of whimpering and shaking, looking for help,” Beerling told WJAC. “And then we looked into it a little bit further and found out it was like a self-compacting type trash that eventually would have, unfortunately, might have crushed him.”
The nonprofit said he had been “tossed away like trash.”
The dog was taken to the spcaLA South Bay Pet Adoption Center and named Flan.
After staying at the center for a few days, and getting neutered, Flan was adopted by the Beerling family.
“The girls and I have been trying to convince him to get another pet for a while, and he hasn’t wanted to commit but this little guy just tugged on his heart,” Beerling’s wife told WJAC.
The family renamed their new pup Norman after the street he was found and rescued on.
“This is one rescue we’ll never forget,” the shelter said in a social media post. “The Beerling family is incredibly excited to take him home.”