A local dog rescue group is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for starving a dog and leaving him alive inside a trash bag in Philadelphia last week.
In a Facebook post, the nonprofit organization GoodBoy Dog Recovery asked for the community’s help in getting justice for Rocky, who, according to the group, was found severely starved inside a trash bag on West Clapier Street on Sept. 14, 2026.
“After enduring what appears to have been prolonged starvation, someone put this helpless little dog inside a trash bag and discarded him like garbage,” the organization wrote. “But Rocky wasn’t garbage. He was alive. He could feel pain. He could feel fear. And somehow, he held on long enough to be found.”
According to the organization, after someone posted an urgent plea on Facebook asking for help for the dog, two good Samaritans came to his rescue and rushed him to a nearby veterinary hospital.
“The bag was filled with feces. Somehow, in his incredibly weakened condition, this little dog managed to wiggle his way out of that bag and make enough noise that someone noticed him,” the organization said.
GoodBoy Dog Recovery then stepped in and has been caring for Rocky ever since.
The group has been documenting the dog’s recovery journey on its Facebook page. According to the latest update, Rocky’s condition is slowly improving, and his feeding program is being carefully controlled.
“Every bit of food is measured and monitored as we gradually give his severely depleted body the nutrition it needs to rebuild,” the organization wrote.
Anyone with credible information that could help identify those responsible is asked to contact GoodBoy Dog Recovery or the Pennsylvania SPCA.
