he soldier.
A Florida dog who was brutally tied to a fence and abandoned before Hurricane Milton hit the Sunshine State is recovering “safe and sound” in a foster care home, where he's giving his rescuers a “smile” It's showing.
The Florida Highway Patrol posted a heartbreaking video Wednesday of a pet standing wet “up to its belly” in rising floodwaters near Interstate 75 in Tampa.
The Leon County Humane Society stepped in to place the bull terrier in foster care in Tallahassee, expressing “how much trouble he had been through and the efforts to save him from the devastating storm that killed at least 17 of the eight people.” The dog was named Trooper in honor of those who helped him. county.
“He is incredibly stressed and remains depressed,” the Leon County Humane Society said on Facebook.
“When you abandon a dog in this way, they usually don't go back to being happy right away. Most dogs take a few days after being rescued before they feel safe, and a few weeks before they come out of their shells. It takes a few months to get used to daily life.”
Police officers rescued the dog before a Category 3 hurricane made landfall on Siesta Key, causing wind gusts of more than 160 miles per hour and massive flooding. a member was found
Water levels in Sarasota rose more than 8 feet as Tampa Bay was spared a predicted catastrophic storm surge.
Police took the trooper to a local veterinarian where he was examined and received a health certificate.
“It was cruel and thoughtless.” Leon County Humane Society wrote in a Facebook post. “I can't imagine how he ended up tied to this pole, without any hope. I can't even imagine how scared he must have been as the cars drove by, the water rose to his belly, and the storm clouds darkened. It’s difficult.”
“We've been worried about him ever since we saw his story, so we wanted to let people who have been watching this story know that he's safe.”
The nonprofit organization has seen a surge in people wanting to adopt Troopers, but is not yet accepting applications or inquiries.
Trooper will remain at the nursing home until the nonprofit organization is confident he is ready to find a forever home.
“We also saw some smiling faces this afternoon,” the Leon County Humane Society said Thursday. “At the end of the day, all that matters to us is that he's safe and the rest can wait. Welcome to the Tallahassee Troopers!”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis responded to the viral video, telling reporters: “I hope the person who did this is found and the book should be thrown at that person.”
After the rescue, rumors surfaced that Troper had been reunited with his heartless owner, but the facility debunked the online chatter.
The Leon County Humane Society said the shelter where the trooper was first dropped off was involved and incorrectly listed the trooper as “returned to owner,” which was not the case.
“That was a mistake. The same officer who took him in for surveillance came back to pick him up for transfer.” [to us]. Because he was released to the same person who brought him in, he was incorrectly listed as returned to owner and later updated as transferred to law enforcement. We can confirm that the original owner did not come forward,” the nonprofit wrote on Facebook.
