Pit bull found abandoned in trash bag on side of road in Willow Springs

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (WLS) -- A dog named Vinny is on the road to recovery after being found in a trash bag on the side of a street in southwest suburban Willow Springs earlier this week.

The pit bull was rescued Monday after he was found stuffed in a double-bagged trash bag.

"If he wasn't found in the time frame that he was found, he wouldn't be with us," said Emily Klehm, CEO of the South Suburban Humane Society.

The Chicago Heights shelter is giving the pit bull-mix the love and care he deserves.

Vinny is undernourished and he has issues with his kidneys.

"He didn't respond to eating at first, just because his body was so cold and sort of shutting down," Klehm said. "He is very scared. He is very shy of humans, which is completely understandable given what he must have been through."

John Haralamos, a warden with the Cook County Animal and Rabies Control, took Vinny off the streets Monday morning.

"The bag was tied up. The officers that responded that called me actually opened the bag to find Vinny was alive," Haralamos said.

Haralamos doesn't understand how this could happen.

"With the resources available now, there is no excuse to do this to an animal," he said.

The South Suburban Humane Society is now working to make sure Vinny fully recovers and finds his forever home.

"We will definitely keep the whole community up to date on his progress and when he is ready to find a new home, we will be posting that on our Facebook page," Klehm said.

The Cook County Animal and Rabies Control has turned over the case to the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff's office.