The young bull terrier discovered tied to a fence and left for dead as Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida earlier this year has found his forever home on Monday — while his allegedly abusive former owner awaits his court date for the cruel act.
The pup, named “Trooper,” was adopted by a loving couple who have cared for bull terriers for over three decades, according to a Facebook post from the Leon County Humane Society.
Frank and Carla Spina said their hearts broke when they heard about Trooper’s story following the catastrophic storm that killed 32 across the southern US in October.
“We both looked at the video, and being bull terrier owners for 30 years, this is our 34th year of only raising that breed,” Frank Spina told Fox 13 Tampa on Tuesday.
“I said to Carla that, ‘We need to go get him.’ She said, ‘I’ll try.’ I don’t know how we would get him.”
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper discovered the pooch tied to a fence along I-75 in Tampa as the deadly storm quickly approached the Sunshine State.
A viral video showed the officer trudging across a soggy field and rescuing the terrified pup just in time.
The Leon County Humane Society then sent Trooper to a foster home in Tallahassee after receiving a call from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office. Throughout his journey, the dog-loving couple closely monitored his status.
Weeks later, the Spina’s saw that applications had been opened for Trooper’s adoption, and the couple didn’t hesitate to apply.
They wrote a heartwarming, two-page letter confessing their love for the bull terrier breed and their wish to welcome Trooper into their family.
However, the shelter Trooper was staying at during his adoption phase had some concerns since the pup’s former abuser was male, and he hadn’t been responding well around men since being rescued, according to Fox 13.
But Frank Spina, being an experienced bull terrier owner, didn’t fret at their concerns.
“I said, ‘Listen, we’re not going to have any trouble me and him. We’re going to be best buddies,’” he told the outlet.
“I said, ‘If we come get them on Friday, on Sunday, we’ll be sitting on the couch watching television.’ And they were like, ‘No way.’”
The couple drove to meet Trooper and it was clear the pup found his forever home.
“From the moment he was introduced to his new Mom and Dad, you could see that it was a perfect match,” according to the Leon County Humane Society.
“In other meetings, Trooper would normally be visibly on edge and uncomfortable, but with Frank and Carla, Trooper seemed immediately at ease.”
One of the shelter workers told him it was clearly “a match made in heaven’” and it was like he had “cast a spell over him,’” Frank Spina told Fox 13.
The couple also brought their other bull terrier, a female pooch named Dallas, and they were ecstatic to see the two dogs hit it off instantly.
“Dallas, her eyes lit up. It was like she saw Prince Charming, so those two got along,” he said.
The couple believes Trooper is around three years old and has assimilated greatly into their loving home.
His heartless former owner, Giovanny Aldama Garcia, 23, was arrested on Oct. 15 and has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, a third-degree felony.
Garcia admitted leaving the canine, a white bull terrier called “Jumbo,” on Interstate 75 as he raced toward Georgia ahead of the storm.
The 23-year-old told officials he left the pup because he “couldn’t find anyone to pick the dog up.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called out Garcia’s “unacceptable” actions as he evacuated the storm’s eye.
“When this poor dog was left out there,” DeSantis said, “we said … we’re going to nail you when we find out who did it. And that’s exactly what they’re doing here in Hillsborough County with State Attorney Lopez.”
“You don’t just tie up a dog and have them out there for a storm. Totally unacceptable, and we’re going to hold you accountable,” DeSantis said at a news conference in October.
Hillsborough County State Attorney Suzy Lopez said Garcia faces up to five years in prison for the felony and will not get the dog back to him.
Garcia will be arraigned on Dec. 18, a spokesperson for Lopez told Tallahassee.com Monday.
