The four-legged Floridian rescued hours before Hurricane Milton was expected to make landfall is now safe and dry in Tallahassee, the Leon County Humane Society says.
He's also been given a name to honor both his survival and those who saved him: Trooper.
A Florida Highway Patrol officer found the dog, which appears to be a white bull terrier, tied to a fence off Interstate 75 in the Tampa area on Wednesday amid mandatory evacuations as the region prepared for potential destruction from Hurricane Milton.
"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," the Humane Society said in a post on Facebook.
The Hurricane season is on. Our meteorologists are ready. Sign up for the NBC 6 Weather newsletter to get the latest forecast in your inbox.
Bodycam footage showed the trooper approaching the dog in the rain, its legs submerged in water. The dog growled and barked as the trooper neared.
"It's OK, buddy," the trooper said, trying to calm him. "It's OK. I don't blame you. I don't blame you. It's OK, buddy. It's OK."
The pup was later picked up by the Humane Society's dog coordinator, who got a call from the Governor's office and left her home to go pick him up from Emergency Management Services.
"The dog was brought into Hillsborough Pet Resource Center, but he was not chipped and was not reunited [with any potential owner]," the Humane Society added. "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."
Thank you, @FHPTampa.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 9, 2024
It is cruel for anyone to leave a dog tied to a post in the middle of an oncoming storm. FL will hold anyone who mistreats pets accountable. https://t.co/19axr8CLf0
Trooper will probably be in foster care for a while before the Humane Society considers adoption.
"He's incredibly stressed and still decompressing. Abandoning a dog like this doesn't typically allow for an immediate bounce back to their happy selves. Most dogs when rescued take a few days to feel safe, a few weeks to come out of their shell, and a few months to become comfortable and fall into a routine. We have absolutely no idea what his life looked like before he was abandoned. We want to be sure that we know exactly what he needs before even considering adoption, so he'll be in foster care until we feel confident he's ready for the next phase of life, and that his future will be kind to him," the organization said.
