On their way to work, plumber Carlos Carillo and his coworker came found something surprising in a ditch off the country road. “At first, we didn’t know he was a dog,” Carrillo, a Shoreline Plumbing employee in Texas, told The Dodo. “We turned around and saw him.” The dog had his lips sealed shut and was tied with tubing. He was definitely left to die…

Carillo and his buddy raced to the dog’s aid. “He seemed to be in a good mood,” Carrillo added. “He was extremely loving and enjoyed being the center of attention. He was most likely only there for a day or two.”

The plumbers took the dog into their vehicle and brought him to Peewee’s Pet Adoption, a neighboring no-kill facility. “Look at that face,” Carrillo wrote, alluding to the dog’s obvious excitement at being alive. “He recognizes that he has been rescued!”

Despite harboring heartworms, the dog was found to be in fair health, and treatment was initiated. “His tail won’t stop wagging,” a representative for Peewee’s Pet Adoption told The Dodo. “What a darling,” she says.

The individual who so callously abandoned the dog was never traced, but the dog was given a second chance at life thanks to the plumbers. All he needs now is a loving permanent home.

The dog is ecstatic to be alive and is searching for a loving permanent home.