Who is cutting onions in here?
You probably heard the horrible story about a dog owner that abandoned their pet while they were evacuating out of Florida with Hurricane Milton on its way. They didn't just leave their dog behind... they left it for dead. A Bull Terrier - now known by the name of Trooper - was found tied up to a post in a couple of feet of water off the side of I-75 .
Florida Highway Patrol officers rescued the dog and posted this video and a message to other Florida residents asking them not do this to their own pets, and it quickly went viral:
https://twitter.com/FHPTampa/status/1844036069219574083
Just a horrible scene right there. Don't know how someone with a heart could do that.
Fortunately, the dog was rescued and taken to the safety of the Leon County Human Society. It received plenty of care, and was examined for injuries. After getting a clean bill of health, the focus then turned to trying to find a forever home for "Trooper." With a face like this, there were plenty of inquires, but the Human Society in Florida wanted to make sure it did its due diligence before letting just anyone take the Bull Terrier home:
https://twitter.com/FLHSMV/status/1844085214131155027?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1844085214131155027%7Ctwgr%5E41dfe00a94a366e5df517dab4ac7a10109e7fd33%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whiskeyriff.com%2F2024%2F10%2F15%2Fowner-of-dog-rescued-by-florida-troopers-after-being-chained-to-fence-during-hurricane-milton-charged-with-felony-animal-cruelty%2F
While they searched for a new owner, the terrier's old owner had the hammer brought down on them - and rightfully so. Authorities announced that animal cruelty charges had been filed against owner Giovanny Aldama Garcia. According to the state attorney’s office, Garcia reportedly told them that he left the dog (who was named Jumbo) tied up to the fence as he evacuated because he couldn’t find anybody to take him. Guess what? THAT'S NOT AN EXCUSE.
Garcia is now facing charges of aggravated animal cruelty, a third degree felony with a penalty of up to five years in prison. And according to State Attorney Susan Lopez, even that’s not long enough:
“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. 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.”
If you can't do the time, don't do the crime.
But getting back to the bright light of this story - Trooper - hundreds upon hundreds adoption applications poured in to adopt the dog that was once left abandoned on the side of the road. As I mentioned earlier, the Leon County Humane Society was looking for a very specific person to step in as a new owner. The Bull Terrier breed is known to be high energy, strong and bull-headed, so ironically enough, it was going to take a trooper to take home Trooper.
Seven and a half hours south of Leon County, Frank and Carla Spina (who live in Parkland, Florida) were doing everything in their power to become the new dog parents of Trooper. The couple has been longtime bull terrier owners, having them as pets for just over three decades. Like many others, they saw the story and were heartbroken, and wanted to play a role in turning Trooper's sad story into a happily ever after.
The only problem was that because of the dog's past trauma, Trooper was reportedly not all that great with men. But Frank Spina told the humane society that they'd have nothing to worry about - and he was right:
"I said 'Well, how about if we get in a car and drive seven and a half hours to Tallahassee and I'll show you what 33 years of Bull Terrier Dad does?' So we did that, and when we got there, they let him loose, and they said, 'Frank, why don't you sit over on that bench and see what happens?' And he came over and got under my legs, and I started scratching his neck and his foot started moving. And they said, 'Perfect match.'"
So Trooper found a new home in Parkland, Florida, where he now has a Bull Terrier sister named Dallas. It's as heartwarming of an ending as you could hope for, and based on this video below, Trooper could not have ended up in a better home with better dog parents.
Check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRuYEQ0mDKw&t=2s
