‘It broke my heart like no other’: Dog dies after being found latched inside kennel, abandoned in dumpster

The dog found latched in a kennel inside a dumpster near 30th and Mason on Tuesday has died, according to a statement from the Nebraska Humane Society. (Source: WOWT)
Published: May 15, 2025 at 1:25 PM CDT
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WARNING: This story may contain images that are disturbing for some viewers.

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT/Gray News) – While taking out the trash, a man in Nebraska was shocked to find someone had dumped a dog into the dumpster as if he were garbage.

Jaymie Spencer said the dog was in a kennel with no food or water and appeared to be barely alive.

“It was covered in its own feces, had mange, bugs all over it and flies sticking to it,” he said.

While taking out the trash near 30th and Mason, Jaymie Spencer was shocked to discover someone had dumped a dog like garbage.

Spencer said he lifted the kennel out of the dumpster, leaving the dog inside, and called the Nebraska Humane Society.

While he waited for an animal control officer to arrive, Spencer tried to help the suffering dog using a homemade syphon.

“He did move, he stuck out his tongue when he finally got the water but that’s all the movement, that and his eyes opening. He was fighting for his life,” Spencer said.

The Nebraska Humane Society took the dog in for emergency care while Spencer searched for clues that could help lead him to who abandoned the pet in a latched kennel stuck in a dumpster.

A sign near the dumpster said the area is under surveillance despite the cameras not working. However, someone still dumped a kennel with a dog inside it.

Spencer took just one photo of the dog in the kennel, looking close to death.

“I have a dog myself so I can’t imagine why anyone would do this,” he said. “It broke my heart like no other.”

In an update Thursday, the Nebraska Humane Society said workers did everything they could to save the dog, but were unsuccessful.

Officials said they are still investigating to find who left the dog in the dumpster in deplorable conditions.