FL Dog Abandoned On I-75 During Hurricane Finds Permanent Home

LEON COUNTY, FL — A dog abandoned in flood waters up to his chest on Interstate 75 in the Tampa area while his owner evacuated during Hurricane Milton has found a permanent home.

The bull terrier, who was safe after his rescue, was renamed Trooper and was recently adopted from the Leon County Humane Society, the organization shared in a Facebook post.

Giovanny Aldama Garcia, 23, of Ruskin told investigators he was driving to Georgia to escape the approaching hurricane when he left his dog, then called Jumbo, on the side of the road because he couldn’t find anyone to pick the dog up. Garcia was arrested and charged with animal cruelty in October.

• Also Read: Owner Who Abandoned Dog In Milton Flood Waters Arrested

Water was rising to the animal’s neck as Milton bore down on Tampa, the state attorney’s office said.

Trooper has since bounced back and has settled into his new home in Tallahassee.

“From the moment he was introduced to his new Mom and Dad, you could see that it was a perfect match. In other meetings, Trooper would normally be visibly on edge and uncomfortable, but with Frank and Carla, Trooper seemed immediately at ease,” the Humane Society wrote. He happily accepted the toy gift they offered, tore it to shreds, and then trotted over to the couple to lean in for pets and cuddles. He’d take breaks to run back to (staff) and express his excitement over having them there, then he’d run back and get more pets, over and over.”

After that initial meeting went well, Humane Society staff decided to see how Trooper got along with Frank and Carla’s dog, Dallas, a miniature bull terrier rescue, who is about 7 years old.

Dallas has been grieving the loss of her friend, Diesel, also a bull terrier rescue, who died in April at age 15.

“Carla and Frank were hoping that Trooper would help fill the hole in their household, and believe that in some way, Diesel was sending Trooper to join their family,” the organization wrote. “The moment Trooper and Dallas’ eyes met; it was love at first sight. We thought he’d liked Frank and Carla, but when Dallas walked through the gate, we were worried Trooper’s tail wagging would helicopter him out of the backyard. They ran up to each other and pressed foreheads, tails wagging furiously.”

The two dogs were excited to see each other when they met again a week later — when Frank and Carla returned to bring Trooper home.

Within an hour of getting to their house, the couple sent the Humane Society pictures of Trooper relaxing on the couch.

They also have a dog trainer, who has worked with Dallas and their previous pups, to meet Trooper and work with him.

“Frank and Carla are incredibly kind, thoughtful and compassionate people … Their hearts are wide open and ready to love this dog how he deserves to be loved,” the Humane Society wrote.

The organization added, “Trooper is a very lucky dog. We hope that his story has inspired others to look into and start following animal welfare through their own local shelters and rescues, and to remember that there are 3.3 million dogs entering shelters in the U.S. each year. Some of them have stories even more heartbreaking than Trooper’s, all of them deserve a loving home, and all of them deserve to have humans telling their stories.”