Florida Highway Patrol Nabs PETA Award for Rescuing Dog Tethered to Fence During Hurricane Milton
For Immediate Release:
October 14, 2024
Contact:
Maddy Missett 202-483-7382
A Compassionate Police Department Award is on its way from PETA to Florida Highway Patrol—Tampa in recognition of its rescue of a dog who was found standing in rising water as high as his stomach and tied to a fence along northbound I-75 near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard as Hurricane Milton barreled toward the coast. A now-viral video shows an officer approaching the dog and assuring him, “It’s OK, buddy,” and “I don’t blame you,” as the frightened animal barks.
Florida Highway Patrol—Tampa, which posted the rescue on X to remind everyone not to abandon their animal companions, told PETA that the dog was taken to a veterinarian, who gave him a clean bill of health. He didn’t have a microchip, and police don’t have any leads on who left him tethered on the side of the highway. The person(s) responsible for abandoning the dog could face charges of aggravated cruelty to animals.
“Our animal companions depend on us to keep them safe, yet someone cruelly tethered this dog to a fence and left him to drown as a violent hurricane approached,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “This compassionate officer didn’t hesitate to save a terrified dog from a perilous predicament, and PETA hopes his kind actions inspire people everywhere to step up and help when they see an animal in distress.”
PETA points out that every time there’s a natural disaster, many dogs and other companion animals are left outside to fend for themselves and even left behind when humans evacuate. Dogs kept tethered will swim to exhaustion and drown—and there are tethered dogs everywhere. PETA’s Animal Rescue Team has witnessed firsthand the trauma that animals endure when left behind to face floodwaters and flying debris. During previous storms, the group has found dogs neck-deep in water and unable to sit or lie down, trapped inside almost-submerged crates, and even flung around by high winds. And of course, animals are petrified in these types of weather conditions.
PETA is sending Florida Highway Patrol—Tampa a framed certificate and delicious vegan chocolates.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out thatEvery Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
