Hurricanes expose the most depraved criminals in Florida.
Sometimes things have a way of working out for the best.
And a Florida man’s sick crime during Hurricane Milton had one outcome he never expected.
Florida man leaves his dog tied up to drown in Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton was predicted to be one of the most devastating storms to ever hit the state of Florida.
That caused millions of people to evacuate before the hurricane made landfall.
Florida Highway Patrol officers discovered a dog that was tied up to a fence on the side of I-75 in the Tampa area.
The dog was standing in water that was up to its chest from the pouring rain from the storm.
Officers tried to calm the frightened pooch so they could untie it.
FHP Troopers rescued a dog left tied to a pole on I-75 near Bruce B Downs Blvd this morning. Do NOT do this to your pets please… pic.twitter.com/8cZJOfkJL2
— FHP Tampa (@FHPTampa) October 9, 2024
The dog was rescued and sent to an animal shelter in Tallahassee to recover from the traumatic experience.
Highway patrol officers named the bull terrier Trooper.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis put the scoundrel who left Trooper to die on notice.
“You don’t just tie up a dog and have them out there for a storm,” DeSantis said. “Totally unacceptable, and we’re going to hold you accountable.”
Police arrested 23-year-old Giovanni Aldama Garcia for animal cruelty charges for abandoning his dog on the side of a highway.
Trooper gets a new lease on life after he’s adopted
Trooper was rehabilitated at the animal shelter and was adopted by Frank and Carla Spina of Parkland, Florida.
“He’s now been with us, this Friday will be a month. He’s been with us that long. He’s doing great,” Frank Spina stated.
Spina said that Trooper has adjusted incredibly well to their home after the trauma he went through.
Trooper’s story made national headlines and the couple knew that they had to try to adopt once they saw him on TV.
“We both looked at the video, and being bull terrier owners for 30 years, this is our 34th year of only raising that breed. I said to Carla that ‘we need to go get him.’ She said, ‘I’ll try.’ I don’t know how we would get him,” Frank explained.
The couple wrote a two-page letter to the animal shelter making their case for adopting Trooper.
But the dog wasn’t responding well to men because of his former owner.
“I said, ‘listen, we’re not going to have any trouble me and him. We’re going to be best buddies.’ I said, ‘if we come get them on Friday, on Sunday, we’ll be sitting on the couch watching television.’ And they were like, ‘No way,’” Frank explained.
He met Trooper at the animal shelter and they hit it off.
“She said ‘just sit there and see if he comes over to you.’ And I sat down, and he came under my legs, just like he does now. And he laid down, and I was scratching him and his leg was moving. And she said, ‘it’s a match made in heaven.’ And Lisa said, ‘You’ve cast a spell over him,'” Frank stated.
Trooper managed to survive a nightmare to find a loving home where he can spend the rest of his days.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments to this ongoing story.
