Florida\u2019s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced this week that the former owner of a dog that the Highway Patrol saved as Hurricane Milton hit land has been caught and will be charged with cruelty to animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had somebody decide, as Hurricane Milton approached, that it would somehow be a good thing to take his dog and chain it to a post on the interstate,\u201d DeSantis said during a press conference at the Hillsborough County Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
Orlando Morales, an officer with the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), filmed the dog standing in a pool of water because it couldn\u2019t get away from the fence as Milton made his way to land.<\/p>\n
DeSantis said the dog\u2019s new name was \u201cTrooper\u201d and that he was now in Tallahassee, where he will be adopted. The governor said that what the past owners did was \u201ccompletely unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that the dog\u2019s former owner had been found and that State Attorney Suzy Lopez would be in charge of the case.<\/p>\n
According to a news statement from Lopez\u2019s office, the dog\u2019s owner is Giovanny Garcia. Garcia was charged with aggravated animal cruelty after admitting that he left his dog on Interstate 75 while he was leaving Milton. Garcia told the police that he left his dog, which used to be called Jumbo, because he couldn\u2019t find anyone to take it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe said you\u2019d be held accountable, and you will be held accountable,\u201d DeSantis said.<\/p>\n
The story about Trooper made national headlines, leaving pet fans and people who fight for animal rights worried.<\/p>\n
After the FHP saved the dog, the Leon County Human Society later reported that the dog was safe at their facility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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