A dog was rescued in Tampa by the Florida Highway Patrol after being found tied to a fence and left in the rain, just hours before Hurricane Milton hit. Now, the dog is in foster care and has been given a fitting new name.
“He’s called Trooper, not only for what he’s endured but also to honor the brave officers who saved him,” the Leon County Humane Society in Tallahassee shared in a statement.
Trooper was discovered along I-75 in Tampa, according to a video posted by the Florida Highway Patrol on Wednesday. He was found less than 100 miles from where Hurricane Milton made landfall. The video, which has now been viewed over 11 million times, showed the dog with a third of his body submerged in water. There were no signs of his owner, and it was unclear how long he had been left outside in those conditions.
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” said an unidentified state trooper as he gently approached the frightened dog. The dog growled and barked, to which the trooper responded, “I don’t blame you.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shared the video and emphasized that the state “will hold anyone accountable who mistreats animals.”
By Thursday, the Leon County Humane Society reported that their dog coordinator had been contacted by the governor’s office about Trooper and had brought him into their care. The rescue group mentioned that Trooper was not microchipped.
“We can’t even begin to imagine what led to him being tied up and abandoned like that,” the humane society said. “It’s heartbreaking to think how terrified he must have been as cars sped past, the water rose around him, and the storm approached.”
Though Trooper was understandably “very stressed and still adjusting,” the humane society said he had shown moments of happiness, even managing to smile a few times.
Since sharing the news about Trooper, the organization has received numerous inquiries from people wanting to adopt him. However, their current priority is to make sure Trooper feels safe and secure in his new surroundings.
“We don’t know what his life was like before he was abandoned,” they said. “Our main goal is to understand his needs fully before considering adoption. He will remain in foster care until we are confident he’s ready for the next chapter, where he’ll be treated with the kindness he deserves.”
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