In Wesley Chapel, Florida, Florida Highway Patrol troopers rescued a dog tied up on the side of Interstate 75 Wednesday morning standing in water up to his chest. According to video posted on TikTok by Nbc News, the trooper slowly approached the dog who growled and barked at the officer.
i don’t blame you. it’s okay buddy. it’s okay.
Officers were able to calm the dog down and brought him to a veterinarian where he was examined and determined to be healthy. Earlier in the day, a Facebook group, Lost and Found Pets of Hillsborough County, reported the five-year-old pup had been returned to his owner. It was not known who had tied him up.
Without the help of the Florida Highway Patrol troopers, this dog would not have survived. Troopers understood the dog was scared and abandoned and treated him so patiently and kind during the rescue. “They immediately wanted to make his life better and ensure his safety, and advocates are thankful that animal abandonment is being taken seriously.”
A subsequent report refuted the information that the dog had been returned to his owner:
“…There are literally dozens of reports of this dog shared on Facebook by various pages and people. We initially posted the dog as being at Pet Resource Center as animal A2415465. Sometime during the afternoon the county information indicated the dog had been RTO (returned to owner) – so we reported what was provided. Subsequently, that county report has changed the wording and now says outcome: Transfer – Lawenfrce (that is directly cut and pasted from county record.”
The dog, now named Trooper is in the care of the Leon County Humane Society located in Tallahassee, Florida. He was picked up on Wednesday evening from the Department of Emergency Services after having been contacted by the Governor’s office.
His name is Trooper, because of how much he’s been through and to honor those who saved him.
According to the shelter, at this point Trooper is extremely stressed and decompressing. It is expected he will be feeling better and more relaxed within a few days to a few weeks. No one has any idea what kind of life he had before having been abandoned.
Statement from the Leon County Humane Society:
our Dog Coordinator got a call from the Governor’s office and left her home to go pick him up from Emergency Management Services. He did stop into Hillsborough Pet Resource Center, but he was not chipped and was not reunited. We did not speak with the shelter, but with the transport system that arranged a safe spot for him, contacted us, and drove him to Tallahassee. He’s been in foster care ever since.
Trooper is feeling a bit more relaxed today:
We even got a few smiles this afternoon In the end, the only thing that matters to us is that he’s safe, the rest can wait. Welcome to Tallahassee Trooper!
Trooper will need time for his caretakers to get to know him, and he is scheduled to go into foster care until he’s ready for the next step in his life. He has not been reunited with his owner.
Trooper is not available for adoption at this time.
There will be more animals needing assistance from Hurricane Milton.
To make a donation please see link:
www.leoncountyhumane.org/donate to assist in the organization’s daily rescue work so they can continue to help dogs like Trooper, and other animals in need.
Follow the National Pet Rescue on Facebook for the latest animal related news.
