An abandoned dog that was tied up, put in a rubbish bag and dumped in a bin was rescued after its terrified cries were heard by a passer-by.

Emilia Lucchese was walking through the streets of Messina in Sicily, southern Italy, with her friend, Enrica Bianchi, when she noticed the animal’s whimpers.

The pair opened the lid of the bin and were shocked to discover the brown dog lying inside it in a black plastic bag with its legs bound tightly with wire.

After lifting the animal out of the bin, they quickly found it was severely dehydrated and so weak it could barely lift its head.

But after feeding it water and taking it to the vets, the dog has made a full recovery – and has even been adopted by its devoted rescuers.

Today, Ms Lucchese, who later named the dog Oliviero, described the moment she heard the animal’s cries coming from the bin.

‘I thought maybe the dog had got trapped inside after looking for scraps or something, and somebody had shut the lid,’ she said.

‘But when I opened it I realised there was something moving in a plastic bin liner and that it must have been the animal.

‘When we pulled it out, we were shocked to see the terrified dog had its legs tied up with wire in an apparent bid to stop it escaping.’

She added: ‘It was in shock and really thirsty so I assume it had been there for a while, it started to come round only after we poured water from a bottle into its mouth.’

Ms Lucchese and Ms Bianchi filmed their rescue of Oliviero on video, before posting the shocking footage online.

The short film quickly went viral on Italian social media networks and was later published in local newspapers.

Italian police have now launched an investigation and are appealing for information about the dog’s previous owners.