Florida officers rescue lost dogs from highway, canal

One Florida police department has been hard at work saving dogs who got themselves in dangerous and precarious situations in the last week. One dog was hit by a car on the interstate while the other trapped himself in a canal.

The interstate is the last place you want see a dog roaming around. On Sept. 19, Pinellas Park Officer Puglia was on his way to work when he saw a dog trying to cross Interstate 275 get hit by a car, police said.

Puglia, whose first name was not given, immediately pulled over and blocked traffic to protect the injured dog. The officer scooped him up and rushed him to the Pinellas Animal Hospital. After some medical examinations, the dog is expected to make a full recovery.

Police have not been able to find the owner of the dog because he was not micro-chipped or tagged. The dog was taken to Pinellas County Animal Services and is awaiting for his owner.

A week later, another Pinellas Park officer came to the rescue of another dog.

Ashley LaBrant wasn’t expecting to see a dog trapped in the canal behind her home when she went outside Thursday. She said she quickly called the police so they can rescue the “sweet boy.”

When Officer Fox arrived he carefully lowered himself into the canal and slowly walked through ankle-deep muddy water towards the dog, which can be seen in a video posted by LaBrant.

When the dog was taken out of the canal, LaBrant noticed both his back paws were hurt, he was bleeding and was malnourished.

Once the dog is assessed and taken care of, and LaBrant gets permission from her landlord, she will be adopting him.

She has decided to the name the dog Chance because “everyone deserves a second chance at life. Especially this fighter,” she said.

Miami Herald Real Time Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers breaking news, Florida theme parks and general assignment. He attends the University of Florida and grew up in Miami. Theme parks are on his mind in and out of the office.