Connie the container dog, a stray dog rescued from a shipping container at the Port of Houston earlier this year, has died, Forever Changed Animal Rescue has announced.

Connie became an internet sensation in February when news broke of her rescue from a container after more than a week without food and water.

The pet rescue charity discovered Connie was pregnant and she subsequently gave birth to eight healthy puppies.

But in a Facebook post this week, Forever Changed Animal Rescue shared the sad news that Connie had lost her battle with pythiosis, a tropical disease caused by a mould-like organism called Pythium insidiosum. 

“Pythium is extremely rare and almost never seen in dogs in our area of the country, but is seen more in other areas, including Texas,” Forever Changed’s post said. 

“It is an extremely aggressive fungal infection that animals can get from swimming in or ingesting contaminated water.”

Forever Changed said Connie had been adopted by a family and had enjoyed several months in a loving home before her death. 

“After all she had been through and survived, we simply couldn’t believe that this was how her story was supposed to end,” the post said.