A dog was wrapped inside a plastic garbage bag – and her owners had put her there.

The 10-year-old dog, named Blackie, had a bleeding tumor on her tail, and they didn’t want blood inside their car as they drove her to the local shelter.

The dog’s owners pulled up to Carson Animal Shelter in Gardena, California, and carried Blackie inside. Then they left.

“Blackie was surrendered because she was bleeding all over,” Kelly Smíšek, executive director of Frosted Faces Foundation (FFF), a rescue group based in San Diego, told The Dodo.

Now without a home, shelter staff placed Blackie inside a kennel in the medical section of the shelter.

Thankfully, Blackie didn’t need to stay there long. After seeing a video of Blackie online, volunteers from FFF drove to Carson Animal Shelter to pick up the dog.

Despite everything Blackie had been through, she was still friendly.

“She is eager to please, curious and quickly finds her human’s side in times of uncertainty,” Smíšek said. “But you can tell that her love has not been reciprocated for a long time.”

Blackie must have known she was in loving hands – she completely relaxed around Smíšek and the other rescue group volunteers.

“She slept for the entire car ride, and when she arrived at FFF, she wanted to sniff everyone and everything,” Smíšek said.

The volunteers brushed Blackie …

… and bathed her …

… and trimmed her nails …

… and made her a hearty meal.

“When we were making her dinner, she did the classic hound dog bark,” Smíšek said.

Blackie loved all the attention, although she clearly felt pain from her tumor.

“She would correct us with her mouth when we tried to touch it while bathing her,” Smíšek said.

Blackie will soon go to the vet hospital and get surgery. Smíšek expects her to make a full recovery and, once she does, she’ll be up for adoption.

“She is a loyal dog and will find a deserving family quickly – I am sure of it,” Smíšek said.

In the meantime, Blackie will get lots of love and attention from the FFF volunteers.

“We are privileged to be able to provide Blackie the care she desperately needed, offer the compassion that her family clearly did not qualify her for and we are honored to find her a family that she, FFF and all her virtual supporters will be proud of,” Smíšek said.

To help ensure that Blackie makes a full and speedy recovery, make a donation.