Photos courtesy FHP
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
TAMPA, Fla. -- A dog was discovered in a cage on the shoulder of northbound I-275 in Tampa early Wednesday morning by a motorist who alerted the Florida Highway Patrol.
This incident comes almost two months after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two new animal cruelty bills into law. The legislation was based on crimes against two dogs in the Tampa Bay area, including Trooper, who was left on the side of I-75 as Hurricane Milton began battering the region.
The dog was left on the interstate north of Bearss Avenue, in terrible condition, according to officials who spoke with WFLA Ch 8 Tampa.
“That animal had no food or water,” said Chelsea Waldeck, the Division Director of the Pet Rescue Center. “Number two, I believe the heat index is well over a hundred again, so that animal, being a black dog in a black crate under no shade, would have suffered very, very severe heat-related illnesses."
She said there is no reason for a person to leave an animal in those conditions.
“There are so many other options if you need to re-home or surrender your pet,” Waldeck said.
Florida Highway Patrol officials issued a stern warning about abandoning a dog.
"Once again, Florida, we do NOT abandon our furry friends on the side of a highway," the FHP statement on X (formerly Twitter) read.
One law makes it a third-degree felony to restrain or abandon a dog outside during a natural disaster. The other allows for a sentencing multiplier for animal abuse crimes and also requires the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to post the names of specific individuals who have violated animal cruelty laws on its website.
One law makes it a third-degree felony to restrain or abandon a dog outside during a natural disaster. The other allows for a sentencing multiplier for animal abuse crimes and also requires the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to post the names of specific individuals who have violated animal cruelty laws on its website.
The first takes effect on Oct. 1, while the second took effect on July 1.
The dog’s identity and that of its owner are currently unknown, and it is unclear how the dog came to be on the highway.
Motorists are encouraged to contact the Florida Highway Patrol by dialing *FHP (*347) if they can identify the dog or know its owner.
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