Emaciated dog abandoned in a trash bag is now ‘living his best life’ in new Iowa home

His head poking out of a trash bag, Wally was going through a difficult time when his rescuers discovered him in December.

The emaciated bulldog — just 23 pounds with his ribs visible — had been stuffed inside the bag and abandoned along an Iowa roadway, according to the Des Moines Police Department.

Now, there’s good news, as Wally has thrived in the weeks that followed.

“As soon as we saw him, we knew we needed to do something,” Dave Miglin, who began to foster Wally with his wife, Karen Miglin, said in a Facebook post.

But before he could enter his foster home, Wally needed treatment at an Animal Rescue League of Iowa facility. The shelter said Wally required IV fluids and was put on a specialized feeding program to gain weight.

At the Miglin’s home, Wally began to show off his “energetic” personality, the foster parent told the Des Moines Register.

“This dog loves to just cuddle and just wants to be love,” Dave Miglin told the news outlet. “He will literally flop on his back to get his belly scratched. It’s beautiful.”

The Miglins didn’t just become his foster parents, as they eventually became his new owners, the shelter said. Wally was officially adopted earlier this month by the Miglins, who just “couldn’t part with him.”

Dave Miglin told the Register he and his wife “were confident” they could give Wally the life he deserved.

“Wally is now healthy and living his best life,” the rescue said. “His family adores him and he is enjoying his dog friends, as well as lots of soft places to nap.”

Police have yet to identify a suspect in Wally’s abandonment case, but the investigation was ongoing as of Jan. 28, according to the department.