“Do NOT do this to your pets, please …”
While people in Tampa, Florida, rushed to evacuate the city ahead of Hurricane Milton, one helpless resident was seemingly left behind to fend for himself. Stuck just off the shoulder of the highway, the poor guy desperately hoped someone would stop to help.
Unlike the people driving out of Tampa in their cars, the white bull terrier-mix was tied to a fence and unable to escape the rising flood waters. As the impending storm was intensifying, someone found him just in time.
“[Florida Highway Patrol] troopers rescued a dog left tied to a pole on I-75, near Bruce B Downs Blvd this morning,” Florida Highway Patrol, Tampa (FHP Tampa) wrote on X. “Do NOT do this to your pets, please …”
You can watch the moment he was discovered here:
The pup was immediately defensive and wouldn’t let the trooper get near. But the trooper refused to leave and eventually won him over by speaking to him gently.
“It’s OK,” the trooper said to the growling pup. “I don’t blame you. It’s OK, buddy.”
The trooper eventually waded into the flood waters, now up to the pup’s chest, untied him from the fence, loaded him into his patrol car and drove him straight to the vet.
“The dog rescued by [FHP Tampa] is safe and receiving care,” Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) wrote on X. “Troopers brought him to a vet, where he was examined for injuries and received a clean bill of health.”
The troopers were relieved to learn that the pup was OK. While they continue searching for a loving home for the pup while helping residents evacuate, first responders urge the public to think twice about leaving their pets behind.
“Remember your pets if you are evacuating,” FLHSMV wrote on X. “Visit [Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s website] for information on lodging options with Pet Policies for Hurricane Milton Evacuees.”
