Dog found tied to pole in path of Hurricane Milton gets new name

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (TNND) — A dog found tied to a pole along an evacuation route in Florida as Hurricane Milton headed toward the state has been given a new lease on life.

Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) troopers rescued the dog, whose new name is Trooper, on Wednesday morning.

“His name is Trooper because of what he went through and to honor those who saved him,” the Leon County Humane Society wrote on Facebook the following day.

The post included a photo of the dog as well as some information about rumors that were circulating online.

The dog's video went viral after FHP Tampa released footage showing the animal tied to a pole near a wooded area off Interstate 75.

“Please DO NOT do this to your pets,” FHP wrote on social media.

Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to the post, saying Florida will hold anyone who mistreats pets accountable.

“It is cruel for anyone to leave a dog tied to a post in the middle of an approaching storm,” the governor noted.

However, the circumstances that led to the dog's apparent abandonment were not immediately known. Residents evacuated the area before the storm, but the dog somehow stayed behind.

“We cannot imagine the situation that ended with him tied to that pole with no hope left,” the Leon County Humane Society noted. “It's hard to imagine how scared he must have been as cars raced past, the water rose to his stomach and the storm clouds darkened.”

In the post, the Leon County Humane Society also addressed apparent comments made on social media about the shelter that initially helped the dog, as well as a pet volunteer group that reported the dog as being returned to its owner.

The organization said the police officer who brought the dog to the shelter “for observation” later returned to pick up the dog for its transfer. Because it was released to the same person who brought it, it was incorrectly listed as “returned to owner” and then updated as “released to law enforcement.”

This means that while the public believed the dog's owner had picked him up, that wasn't the case, leading to nasty comments online.

“Shelters across the U.S. are working hard to provide relief after two major hurricanes hit the South. There is no reason to be unkind,” the Leon County Humane Society wrote. “Mistakes mainly happen in stressful, hectic and emotional situations. Trooper is safe. Trooper is also a dog – there are hundreds of animals that need their care and attention right now and they deserve to be able to focus on that. “Let them do their life-saving work and help animals.”

The Leon County Humane Society said the good news is Trooper is safe. They said they picked him up from the emergency room and he is now recovering.

According to the post, the Leon County Humane Society is not currently accepting adoption requests for troopers.

“We have already received dozens of inquiries and we know he is a special and famous dog, but he needs time to relax in a foster home so we can best match him to give him the best transition to his forever home “,” the post says.

“If his termination was a misunderstanding, that is another reason not to accept applications,” the post says.

The Leon County Humane Society added that it will provide an update on Trooper in the future. Until then, the dog will remain in care.

“We know more animals from this storm will need help, and while we already have an extensive program in place from our immediate community, we are here to help our neighbors and beyond. Animals don’t know zip codes, they “I just need help.”

The storm made landfall near Siesta Key around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. At least 16 deaths had been reported as of Thursday morning.