A small dog is now safe after being abandoned in the cold outside a Newark shelter in the middle of the night.

The dog, now named Willow, was left in a plastic storage bin outside the Associated Humane Societies Newark shelter at about 1 a.m. Monday. According to AHS, an unidentified person was seen on surveillance footage leaving Willow at the entrance and then walking away.

In a social media post, the shelter said the dog was left for hours as temperatures dipped to 47 degrees.

More than six hours later, an AHS employee arriving for work discovered that Willow had escaped from the bin and was running loose outside the facility.

"Luckily we were able to safely catch Willow before anything could happen to her," the shelter said.

Willow is now receiving a medical evaluation and care. Shelter staff say she will never again have to experience the fear and uncertainty of being abandoned.

The shelter will continue caring for Willow until she is ready for adoption, but AHS said she will not be available until Nov. 12.