On Aug. 14, someone driving at least 60 miles per hour on U.S. 27 in Broward County opened a car window and pitched out a Shih Tzu puppy like a spiraling football.

He landed on the median.

A motorist behind the car between Sheridan Street and Pines Boulevard saw it happen, pulled over, scooped up the dog and rushed him to a veterinarian.

The 8-month-old, 15-pound pup, now called Cooper, broke only a tooth, no bones. He has been groomed, treated for worms and neutered, and is ready for a home.

“He’s so thankful to have food and be loved,” said foster “mom” Sheera Alexis Mischel of Fort Lauderdale. She said that he was “matted and had fleas and was emaciated” when the Good Samaritan, a Broward woman, rescued him.

“His personality is adorable,” added Kelly Lecain of Pets in Distress, the rescue group that took charge of Cooper and placed him with Mischel.

Animals in rescue “all have sad stories,” Lecain said, but Cooper’s is especially so because he was so deliberately discarded.

For more information about Cooper and other adoptable Pets in Distress pets, and about becoming a foster, visit petsindistress.org, call 954-472-8667, or email pidinc@aol.com.