Troopers Rescue Dog Tied To Fence In Chest-Deep Water Ahead Of Hurricane Milton

A Florida dog is safe and dry after being rescued from a harrowing situation in the face of Hurricane Milton on Wednesday morning.

“Do NOT do this to your pets please,” wrote the Florida Highway Patrol on X, formerly Twitter, alongside footage that showed a “dog left tied to a pole” on the interstate north of Tampa. The region was already seeing the effects of the oncoming hurricane.

Body camera video shows a trooper approaching a dog stuck in chest-deep water next to a fence off the side of the interstate.

As rain falls, the trooper walks through puddle-filled grass to approach the dog, repeatedly saying, “It’s OK.” When the dog growls and barks, the trooper responds, “I don’t blame you.”

The Highway Patrol shared a follow-up post from the Florida Deepartment of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles that showed the dog, which appears to be an English bull terrier, in the back of a vehicle with a blanket. The dog is “safe and receiving care,” the post said, adding that the canine had seen a vet and “received a clean bill of health.”

Highway Patrol officials told McClatchy News that the same trooper who had managed to get the dog to safety also volunteered to care for the animal.

On Wednesday evening, Hurricane Milton continued to barrel toward Florida’s Gulf Coast as rain, tropical storm force winds and tornadoes slammed the coastal area.