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A bull terrier that was rescued from the side of a Florida highway during Hurricane Milton has been named “Trooper,” in honor of the Tampa Highway Patrolman that saved him.
A video of the incident went viral on Wednesday, receiving attention from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. In it, Trooper was clearly scared and agitated, barking at the man who found him and was trying to calm him down. The dog was standing in waters that came up to his legs, as rain continued to fall.
The pup was found off of Interstate 75: an evacuation route for the tens of thousands of Floridians who raced away from the state’s west coast.
“We have so much appreciation for how that was handled by that trooper and how much care he took in rescuing him and making sure that he had a soft place to land, Katie Stryker, Leon County Humane Society’s graphic design and marketing coordinator, told The Independent on Friday. “That was definitely above and beyond.”
The humane society, which is based in Tallahassee, does not know how Trooper became attached to the chicken wire fencing, or how long he was tied up for. His nails are trimmed and he is a healthy weight. They haven’t had a chance to speak with the trooper who rescued the dog.
“We’ve seen dogs that were on leash, get spooked [and] run off, especially in the middle of an evacuation. It’s possible [he] was stuck,” Stryker said.
No charges have been filed in connection to the incident.
Although Trooper is now in the society’s care, he had initially been taken to the Hillsborough Pete Resource Center, where he was given a clean bill of health and checked for a microchip. After determining that the dog was abandoned, he was released to the same trooper who saved him.
No original owner has come forward, although Trooper was mistakenly listed as having been “returned to owner.”
Then, the governor’s office called asking if the humane society could take Trooper from emergency management services and transport him from Hillsborough County to Leon County. Trooper was driven to Tallahassee and he’s been in foster care.
Trooper is stressed and anxious, Stryker said, and new places and people make him feel uncomfortable.
But Trooper is starting to warm up to people, and they’ve learned more about him. For example, he likes swimming, but might not like children. He’s not yet up for adoption yet, and they hope to learn more about him in the coming weeks.
“We want to know more so that we can put him in the best home and have that home be his forever home,” Stryker said.
There are 200 animals in the society’s care right now, including cats also rescued during the hurricane.
Stryker stressed that Trooper is not the only dog with a story and not the only dog in need of a home there.
“Go out and adopt a dog because there are so many more like Trooper that didn’t get famous that still need you.”
