MONTREAL – He's the dog that shouldn't have survived.

But Michou, the charcoal and white miniature poodle with the dark, trusting eyes, locked inside a vehicle for 19 days in the freezing January cold without food or water, not only survived, but is thriving with new owners, an animal control officer involved in the case says.

Michou's weight dropped from about 20 pounds to nine pounds as he sat starving and dehydrated in the freezing cold and was near death inside the EuroVan of his Quebec owner, who had flown off from the Burlington, Vt., international airport over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

After being rescued, Michou was somehow able to pull through, and for that reason Vermonters have called him the "miracle dog."

The 12-year-old poodle is gaining weight, getting friskier by the day, and has been adopted by the foster couple who took him in after his ordeal, said Susan Powers, animal control officer for Williston, Vt., a suburb of Burlington, who helped find Michou the foster family.

"It was a miracle he was still alive," Powers said. "We don't quite understand how in the world he was still living. The two vets who cared for him don't understand either, how a dog could live for that long. We know many dogs who have died in far less time than that. He's a little guy with a good, strong spirit."

Michou's ordeal continues to make waves in Burlington. An editorial broadcast by the local NBC affiliate slammed both the owner, 50-year-old Pascal Bellon of Frelighsburg, Que., and the institutions that gave Bellon a $100 ticket for what happened.

"That so-called punishment is a crime, too," station general manager Gary Sands said on-air. "Vermont law says Bellon could have been fined $7,500 and sent to prison. He should have been."

That prompted viewer comments echoing their displeasure, read on the air on Sunday.

Police at the time said that when they met Bellon upon his return, he told them he didn't realize the dog was in the van. Without evidence he intended to cause harm, the police said, they couldn't lay criminal charges.

Investigators concluded the abandonment was accidental. The public flooded the Humane Society of Chittenden County and the police with demands for information and offers to adopt the animal.

"There is a prevailing frustration with the situation and a certain disbelief that this could have happened without an individual's knowledge," said B.J. Rogers, the Humane Society's executive director. "Burlington in particular is a very dog friendly, highly dog populated area. So it engendered a lot of compassion for the dog and frustration with both the owner and the system that ultimately was unable to sort of hold him accountable for at least what people perceived to be the events."

In Frelighsburg, a picturesque border town in the eastern townships, the attitude is different. Numerous interviews revealed a community steadfastly behind Bellon, who could not be reached for an interview. They believe the abandonment was inadvertent and that Bellon should get his dog back.

"This is an unfortunate incident and to see what a fuss has been made when there are so many situations in this world deserving of time and energy, it's a shame to put so much attention on an unfortunate incident," said resident Holly Gosselin.

Michou could hardly move when he was found. His fur was caked with excrement and his eyes crusted over from an infection.

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Powers wouldn't release the name of the new owners, but they are retired and have a lot of time to look after Michou, she said. He is taking supplements along with his food to help him get better.

"He's very affectionate," Powers said. "He wants to be on your lap."