A dog whose rescue from Hurricane Milton floodwaters went viral this week is now safe, dry and “decompressing,” according to the Florida animal shelter now in charge of his care.
The male bull terrier was seen in a Wednesday video from the Florida Highway Patrol, standing chest-deep in water next to a fence off the side of the road north of Tampa as Hurricane Milton closed in on the region. The agency wrote that the dog had been “left tied to a pole.”
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
A highway trooper could be heard speaking reassuringly the dog, and a follow-up photo showed the canine with a blanket in the back of a vehicle.
Update: The dog rescued by @FHPTampa is safe and receiving care. Troopers brought him to a vet, where he was examined for injuries and received a clean bill of health. pic.twitter.com/cut1jv7cBe
— FLHSMV (@FLHSMV) October 9, 2024
The dog ultimately ended up in the care of the Leon County Humane Society, which has been helping animals displaced by the hurricane. The nonprofit named the dog Trooper, “because of how much he’s been through and to honor those who saved him,” according to a Thursday social media post.
Trooper is “safe and sound” but “incredibly stressed and still decompressing,” the shelter wrote.
The organization emphasized that the pup is not yet available for adoption.
“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 shelter wrote.
McClatchy News reported earlier that the trooper who rescued the dog had volunteered to care for him, but it was unclear if that person was still involved.
After Trooper’s rescue went viral, rumors have swirled online. Some posts have claimed that the dog was not tied to the fence, but instead had simply gotten his collar stuck. That claim is “inaccurate,” a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles told HuffPost via email, clarifying that Trooper had indeed been tied to the fence.
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Some social media posts also claimed that Trooper was reunited with his family. The humane society addressed this rumor on Friday, stating that Trooper had not been reunited with any owners. The misunderstanding stemmed from a mistake by a “volunteer-run lost and found pet group” where the trooper initially brought the dog after saving him from the floodwater. The group had then given the dog back to the trooper to be transported elsewhere, but erroneously filed the interaction as “returned to owner.”
