A man has been arrested and charged with aggravated animal cruelty over claims he tied his dog to a pole off a major highway as Hurricane Milton swept through Florida.
Heartbreaking video saw the white pup with black ears terrified and growling as he stood in water up to his chest before police came to its rescue.
State Attorney Suzy Lopez announced that the dog’s former owner has been identified as Giovanny Garcia.
Garcia admitted to leaving his dog which he named Jumbo on I-75 as he was evacuating to Georgia because he couldn’t find anyone to pick up the pup, reported WWSB.
‘In Hillsborough County, we take animal cruelty very seriously. This defendant is charged with a felony and could face up to five years in prison for his actions,’ Lopez said.
‘Quite frankly, I don’t think that is enough. Hopefully, lawmakers take a look at this case and discuss changing the law to allow for harsher penalties for people who abandon their animals during a state of emergency.’
Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Orlando Morales got a tip about the animal and found him in a grassy area on the side of I-75 near Bruce B Downs Boulevard near Tampa.
‘It’s OK, buddy, it’s OK,’ the officer could be heard saying as the dog tried to back away. ‘It’s OK, it’s OK!’
As the Morales approached the dog and realized it was stuck, it began to growl as the small animal stood in water up to his chest.
Despite multiple attempts to comfort the dog, it just kept growling and wolfing.
‘I don’t blame you,’ the officer said. ‘It’s OK, buddy, it’s OK.
With Hurricane Milton approaching, someone left their dog tied to a pole along I-75 near Tampa. The dog was rescued by a state trooper pic.twitter.com/x1mNsuW8pp
— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) October 9, 2024
Eventually the dog was taken into safety and given a clean bill of health from a veterinarian.
Leon County Humane Society staff renamed the dog Trooper for ‘how much he’s been through’ and ‘to honor those who saved him,’ WTSP reported.
‘We can’t imagine the situation that ended with him tied to this pole and left him without any hope. It’s hard even to think about how scared he must have been as cars raced by, the water rose to his belly, and the storm clouds darkened.’
Governor Ron DeSantis praised the Trooper for his rescue efforts and applauded the state attorney for holding the dog’s abuser accountable.
‘We had somebody decide as Hurricane Milton approached that it would somehow be a good thing to take his dog and chain it to a post on the interstate,’ DeSantis said.
‘We said you would be held accountable and you will be held accountable.’
