One morning, employees at an accounting firm in Omaha were met with a disturbing scene: a small dog, tightly bound in duct tape, had been thrown away like garbage into a dumpster behind their building.
At first, the workers assumed the noises coming from the dumpster were from a trapped raccoon. But when they lifted the lid, they were stunned and horrified to find a helpless dog. His head, legs, and tail had all been completely wrapped in tape.
The poor animal’s muzzle was sealed, his eyes were covered, and his front and back paws had been bound together, leaving him entirely immobile. Even his tail was wrapped.
“I’ve never witnessed anything like it,” Kevin Wiederin, a partner at the firm who helped uncover the dog, told KETV. “It’s the most revolting thing I’ve ever seen. I can’t imagine treating any living creature this way—especially a defenseless little dog—and then tossing it out like it’s worthless.”
Animal Control was called right away. Officers arrived within minutes and gently rescued the pup from the dumpster. According to the Nebraska Humane Society (NHS), just thirty minutes later, a garbage truck arrived to empty the bin.
The dog was immediately taken to the NHS, where veterinary staff sedated him and began the process of carefully removing the tape. Due to the food and debris stuck to his fur, he had to be shaved. Despite the trauma and visible irritation on his skin, the dog—later identified as Leo—began to show signs of hope and recovery.
“He perked up and started wagging his tail,” the shelter shared on social media.
A Microchip Leads to a Tearful Reunion
After Leo was freed from the tape, staff scanned him for a microchip. That scan led them to his owner, Erin Dillon-Pasillas, who had reported him missing on April 11. She believes Leo slipped out of the house while she was dropping her son off at school.
“Each day that passed became more and more stressful… there was just complete silence,” she told KETV.
In fact, Erin had been at the NHS looking through their lost dog listings when she received a text notification that Leo had been found.
“This dog is seriously the calmest, happiest dog. I can’t even imagine how anyone could do that to him,” she told WOWT.
Leo’s case has deeply affected the Omaha community. Unfortunately, there is no surveillance footage in the area of the dumpster, making it harder to identify who is responsible. The Nebraska Humane Society is urging anyone with information to contact Animal Control at 402-444-7800 ext. 1. Initially, a $1,000 reward was offered for tips leading to an arrest—but that reward has now grown to $5,000, according to WOWT.
While Leo is now safe and recovering at home, both his family and the wider public are still trying to process the cruelty he endured.
“They should be behind bars,” Erin told KAKE News. “These pets are like family. People have deep emotional bonds with them. There is no excuse for hurting an innocent animal like this.”