A dog trapped in a shipping container at a Texas port for at least eight days has been rescued.

A group of coast guard inspectors were randomly inspecting shipping containers at the port in the Houston region last Wednesday when they heard barking and scratching coming from a container high up in a stack, according to the US Coast Guard (USCG).

The container was about 25 feet in the air and had to be lowered by crane before the dog, which rescuers have called Connie the Container Dog, could be freed.

Sharing an update on social media, the USCG said: “When they lowered the container and opened the door, a dog popped out!

“This sweet girl was trapped in the container for at least a week and was tired, hungry, and very happy to see her rescuers.

“The Coast Guard members gave her water and brought her to a local animal shelter for further care.”

US Coast Guard officials determined Connie, who was dirty and skinny when she was freed, had been trapped for at least eight days with no food or water.

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The organisation’s Facebook account said the container was from the Houston-Galveston area but it’s not known precisely where. It was filled with scrapped vehicles, thought to be most likely on their way to be sold for parts overseas.

Officials believe Connie was therefore most likely in a car in a scrapyard before it was picked up.

If she hadn’t been found by the inspectors, they added, it would have most likely been another week before the container Connie was in would have arrived at its destination by cargo ship, meaning she would have been without food or water for two weeks.

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The marine inspectors took Connie to the Pasadena Animal Shelter before she was transferred to the care of a Forever Changed Animal Rescue (FCAR) representative on Friday.

FCAR says Connie weighs 30 pounds, which is slightly underweight, and has tested positive for heartworm, a serious disease among pets caused by a parasitic worm, and will need treatment.

The rescue group, which is based in Virginia, said Connie would be flown to Manassas airport on Tuesday, from where she will head straight to the vet for a full examination. The group will then start work on finding her “the amazing home that she is so deserving of”.

It added that she is “incredibly sweet but very shy and scared of her new surroundings as to be expected.”

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