Woman Sees 'Black Bag Of Garbage' Near The Highway, Then Takes A Closer Look

"I was shocked ..."

On her drive to work, Shena enjoys looking at the sprawling blueberry fields that line the highway. She often spots trash bags closer to the road and, occasionally, sees coyotes patrolling the area.

But one day, Shena, who asked that her last name not be used, noticed what she later described as a particularly suspicious-looking “black bag of garbage.”

She almost kept driving, but her gut told her she had to go back. Walking along the busy road, she spotted a large black dog who was all alone, nestled among the blueberry bushes.

dog by the side of the road
Instagram/shey.shey_west.coast

“I was shocked,” Shena told The Dodo. “Her eyes opened, and a wave of pure relief washed over me.”

Shena approached very slowly, trying not to startle the skittish dog. She called out to the pup, but it was hard to hear anything over the din of highway traffic. Shena noticed the dog was injured — one of her legs appeared to be dangling at a strange angle. She knew she needed to find help as soon as possible, but the nervous dog, untrusting of people, started to run away.

“At one point I lost sight of her and I became very concerned and started panicking,” Shena said. “I was worried I lost her and she would be left to suffer alone and scared. I started jogging along the side of the blueberry field, looking down each row.”

dog in field
Instagram/shey.shey_west.coast

After what seemed like forever, Shena spotted her again. She grabbed a fanny pack from her car and fashioned the strap into a leash. Cautiously, she approached the dog and was able to coax her into it.

“My heart exploded with joy,” Shena said. “I was so over-the-moon excited that I was going to be able to help her.”

Shena drove the pup to RAPS Animal Hospital, where veterinarians got to work healing the broken leg. Pretty soon, it became clear that Shena could never part with her new friend, and she named the dog Blueberry in honor of where they met.

A year after finding her, Shena made a video documenting Blueberry’s rescue and recovery, which you can watch here:

These days, Blueberry, who once cowered in the presence of any stranger, is a cuddly comedian with a new lease on life.

“She is also an absolute ham and can be very hilarious,” Shena said. “She makes ridiculously funny gremlin noises when she is excited. She is eager to please. She also does everything at a thousand percent.”

woman and dog
Instagram/shey.shey_west.coast

Blueberry loves exploring new trails and parks with her mom and visiting pet-friendly stores like PetSmart and Home Depot.

dog in field
Instagram/shey.shey_west.coast

Shena is so glad she stopped driving that day, as she was able to save a life and gain a new best friend.

“[Blueberry] has reinforced just how truly incredible, loving, forgiving and trusting dogs (and animals) can be when treated with love, kindness, respect and compassion,” Shena said. “I am so grateful we found each other.”