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Florida dog cruelly tied to fence before Hurricane Milton 'safe' in nursing home, gets name

Florida dog cruelly tied to fence before Hurricane Milton 'safe' in nursing home, gets name

He is a Soldier.

The abandoned Florida dog who was cruelly tied to a fence before Hurricane Milton hit the Sunshine State is recovering “safely” in a foster home, where he flashes a “smile” at his rescuers.

The Florida Highway Patrol released the heartbreaking video Wednesday of the drenched pet standing “up to his stomach” in rising floodwaters near I-75 in Tampa.

The Leon County Humane Society stepped in to place the bull terrier in a nursing home in Tallahassee, naming him Trooper because of “how much he's been through and to honor those who saved him from the catastrophic storm” in which at least 17 out of eight people died in rural areas.

“He is incredibly stressed and still decompressed,” the Leon County Humane Society said on Facebook.

“Abandoning a dog in this way does not usually allow for an immediate return to his happy self. For most rescued dogs, it takes a few days to feel confident, a few weeks to come out of their shell, and a few months to feel comfortable and fall into a routine.”

Heartbreaking video showed the dog tied to a fence and unable to move hours before Hurricane Milton made landfall. FHP Tampa

A soldier rescued the pooch before the Category 3 hurricane hit Siesta Key, bringing wind gusts of over 100 miles per hour and widespread flooding. Trooper was found

Water levels rose more than eight feet in Sarasota as Tampa Bay was spared from predicted catastrophic storm surge.

Police took Trooper to a local veterinarian where he was examined and given a clean bill of health.

“It was completely unacceptable to abandon this dog in this manner,” the Leon County Humane Society wrote on Facebook. FHP Tampa
The Leon County Humane Society renamed the puppy Trooper because of “how much he has been through and to honor those who rescued him.” FLHSMV/X

“It was cruel and thoughtless,” the Leon County Humane Society wrote in a Facebook post. “We cannot imagine the situation that ended with him tied to that pole with no hope left. 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.”

“We wanted to let those who have been following this story know that he is safe and sound because we have been worried about him since we saw his story.”

The nonprofit is seeing a surge in people wanting to adopt Troopers, but is not yet accepting applications or inquiries.

Trooper is not currently available for adoption. Leon County Humane Society/Facebook

Trooper will remain in the nursing home until the nonprofit is confident he is ready to find a forever home.

“We even got a few smiles this afternoon,” the Leon County Humane Society said Thursday. “In the end, all that matters to us is that he's safe; the rest can wait.” Welcome to Tallahassee Trooper!”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to the viral video by telling reporters, “I hope they find the person who did it and that person should have the book thrown at them.”

Following the rescue, rumors arose that Troper was reunited with the heartless owner, but the facility debunked the online chatter.

Trooper is currently “decompressing” at a nursing home in Tallahassee. Leon County Humane Society/Facebook

The Leon County Humane Society said the shelter's trooper originally dropped him off and accidentally listed him as “returned to owner,” which was incorrect.

“It was a mistake – the same soldier who took him for examination was also the one who came back to collect him for his transfer (to us). Because it was released to the same person who brought it, it was incorrectly listed as “returned to owner” and later updated as “handed over to law enforcement.” We have confirmed that no original owner has come forward,” the nonprofit wrote on Facebook.

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