Man Who Left His Dog Tied to a Pole in Hurricane Floodwaters Is Arrested for Animal Cruelty

Last week, the world was horrified by images of a dog abandoned in the path of Hurricane Milton, tied to a pole with floodwaters up to his chest as rain continued to fall. The pup was rescued by Florida Highway Patrol, who shared a video of the heartbreaking mission on social media. According to Florida’s state attorney, the dog’s guardian is now set to be charged with aggravated animal cruelty.

After his rescue, the terrified pup was taken to Leon County Humane Society, a rescue facility outside Tallahassee, where he was renamed Trooper in honor of the state troopers who saved him from the storm. Trooper’s original guardian, Giovanni Garcia, went to the animal shelter to claim the dog. He agreed to surrender ownership of Trooper if the shelter found a family that would take good care of him.

Garcia claimed that he abandoned the dog because he “couldn’t find anyone to pick the dog up,” reported The Hill. The police charged Garcia with aggravated animal cruelty, a felony that carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.

“In Hillsborough County, we take animal cruelty very seriously,” State Attorney Suzy Lopez said in a statement. “This defendant is charged with a felony and could face up to five years in prison for his actions. Quite frankly, I don’t think that is enough.”

Trooper is now being cared for by a foster family. After what he went through, Trooper was showing signs of stress and will need time to decompress, the Leon County Humane Society explained on Facebook. The shelter has been flooded with dozens of requests to adopt the resilient pup, but they are not yet accepting applications. “We want to be sure that we know exactly what he needs before even considering adoption, so he’ll be in foster care until we feel confident he’s ready for the next phase of life, and that his future will be kind to him.”