The best thing in the world is a dog.
The worst thing in the world is that a dog’s life span is so short.
That is why police were sickened by what this Florida man did to his dog during Hurricane Milton.
King Frederick II of Prussia famously said that “the only, absolute and best friend that a man has in this selfish world, the only one that will not betray or deny him, is his dog.”
It’s been over 230 years since King Frederick II spoke those words, but they still ring true today.
In fact, dogs are the most popular pets in America.
According to 2023 estimates, over 65 million households in the United States own at least one dog compared to 46 million that own a cat.
There are not many things Americans agree on across the board these days.
But when it comes to pets, most Americans agree that it takes a sick and evil person to abuse a dog.
Even though every state has a felony within its animal cruelty laws, an estimated 10 million animals still die each year in the United States from abuse or cruelty.
Men outnumber women by four to one in almost all types of animal abuse, and 70% of people who committed domestic violence were also found to be animal abusers in one study.
Of course, abuse is not the only form of animal cruelty.
The most common type of animal cruelty is neglect.
Neglect occurs when the owner fails to provide the necessary water, shelter, food, and care the pet needs to survive.
But another issue with animal cruelty is pet abandonment.
There are shelters that will take surrendered dogs, but people still throw dogs out beside the road or leave them behind when relocating to a new area.
Roughly 7.6 million companion animals are given to animal shelters nationwide every year.
But one Florida man recently abandoned his dog in the most inhumane and cruel way imaginable.
Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on October 9 as a Category 3 storm and brought 140 mph winds and devastating flood waters.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued in coastal areas directly in the path of Hurricane Milton.
Most folks bring a few days’ worth of clothes and other personal items with them when they evacuate for a storm.
This can cause a headache for folks who own dogs, cats, and other pets who cannot be left behind but can’t be taken with them either.
But residents evacuating on I-75 near Tampa were heartbroken to see a dog standing in water up to its belly and tied to a fence near the road.
Thankfully, a good Samaritan reported the dog to the Florida Highway Patrol and trooper Orlando Morales rescued it from the rising water.
“On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, a dog, now known as Trooper, was found abandoned in flood waters up to his chest on Interstate-75 in Tampa while many residents were evacuating before Hurricane Milton,” the Florida Highway Patrol wrote on Instagram.
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Officer Morales said the dog barked and growled at him when he first approached it.
“I don’t blame you,” he said he told the dog.
Morales parked his car and walked through mud and water to rescue the soaked and trembling dog.
The dog was abandoned by 23-year-old Giovanny Aldama Garcia of Ruskin, Florida.
Garcia admitted to leaving his pet on the side of the road “because he couldn’t find anyone to pick the dog up.”
But his excuse was not enough to keep State Attorney Suzy Lopez from dropping the hammer on him.
“In Hillsborough County, we take animal cruelty very seriously,” Lopez said in a statement. “This defendant is charged with a felony and could face up to five years in prison for his actions,” she continued. “Quite frankly, I don’t think that is enough.”
Garcia named the dog Jumbo, but it got a new name after he left it tied up to drown in flood waters.
The shelter renamed him Trooper due to “how much he’s been through and to honor those who saved him” from the catastrophic storm.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
