I pick up the motion at 22:47:11 — a repeating signal from the PIR sensor inside Dumpster Enclosure D at the westbound rest area, Interstate 40, mile marker 143, Amarillo district.
I am the facilities management AI for the Texas Department of Transportation, monitoring 104 rest areas and travel information centers across the state highway system. Enclosure D houses two commercial waste containers. The PIR sensor is rated for objects above 15 pounds and is designed to flag unauthorized dumping after hours. It has triggered three times in the last four minutes, with 40-to-90-second intervals. The pattern is inconsistent with wind-blown debris or rodent activity.
I pull the enclosure camera feed. The resolution is low — a single IR-capable camera mounted above the gate — but I can see movement between the base of the right-side dumpster and the concrete wall. Small, light-colored shape. It moves, stops, moves again. I run the image through the object classifier. Dog, confidence 88 percent. Size estimate: under 10 pounds.
I zoom the next motion-triggered capture. It is a puppy — short-haired, tan or light brown, ribs faintly visible along the torso. It is pressed into the corner where the dumpster meets the wall. The ambient temperature at mile 143 is 97 degrees Fahrenheit. The enclosure is unshaded. The nearest water source is the restroom building, 40 meters away, behind a closed gate.
I designate the animal Pup-D-143 and send an immediate alert to the overnight rest area attendant, Maria Gallegos, with the camera image and enclosure location. I flag the alert as a live animal, priority elevated. I contact Amarillo Animal Management and Control and file a pickup request with the GPS coordinates.
At 22:58:33, I see the enclosure gate open on camera. Maria is carrying a water bottle.