One dog died of a gunshot wound. Four more dogs were missing. This is their story…
When animal welfare organizations throughout the state were working to help Hamilton County in a hoarding case with 30+ dogs, there were 4 dogs left behind.
Seven dogs were removed from the property early on, and a group of people from different organizations trapped and transported 18 dogs to Cat Depot in Sarasota. It took 3 more days to trap the puppy Rio hiding in the log.
Three dogs on the property were deceased, and at least one of them died of a gunshot wound as the rescue operation began. Neighbors had been threatening to shoot the dogs, and someone made good on that threat.
After all the others were removed and 18 were in quarantine in Sarasota, there were still 3-4 dogs who were unaccounted for.
We saw them in photos and videos before we started trapping, and there were reports from neighbors that there were still some dogs in the woods. All the unusual activity trapping the other dogs must have scared them away.
With 18 dogs safely in quarantine at Cat Depot, Jacqueline Pesola took a bunch of trail cameras back out to Hamilton County volunteers Andrea de la Cruz and Melissa Alderman, and they set up feeding stations and cameras in the woods.
We got nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. There were chickens, and raccoons and possums… but no dogs. As the other 18 were get veterinary care and decompressing in Sarasota, there was still no sign of the missing dogs.
Andrea and Melissa talked to a neighbor down the road who said he saw 4 dogs together at a pond. They moved some of the cameras and feeding stations, and then the neighbor inexplicably started bulldozing near the pond and the dogs disappeared again. Jackie made another trip out to Hamilton County, and she continued giving the team trapping advice and tech support.
As the Cat Depot operation was preparing to demobilize, Andrea, Melissa and Jackie finally got 2 of the missing dogs on camera, back at the original location.
The official rescue operation was wrapping up and about to shut down, but it wasn’t over for us. There were still 4 dogs in the woods, fending for themselves. We couldn’t leave them and wait for someone to shoot them, too.
They set the trap but decided not to set the trigger. When the 2 dogs went into the trap, Andrea carefully manually closed the trap door, and two dogs were safe.
Now we had a big problem. "Dog Depot" was shutting down the next day, the Hamilton shelter was still full, with 2 dogs in hospitalized at the vet, and there were still 2 more dogs in the woods.
With the emergency authorization wrapping up, there was no support for these dogs. No veterinary care, no funding, no temporary housing for quarantine. Nothing. We were on our own.
Thankfully, Animal Control Director Rosalie Bonney reached out to her friend Katie Rooney, who agreed to temporarily keep them in her empty boarding facility. Andrea and Melissa helped care for them, while they still worked on trapping the other two dogs. Two days later, they confirmed sightings of the other two, and Andrea, Melissa and Jackie quickly trapped the third dog. The neighbor down the street kept interrupting and scaring the last dog away.
They set the traps and cameras, and just as the dog went in the trap late at night, a group of men carrying rifles showed up. The trap didn’t trigger and the dog took off into the woods in the dark, with the ‘hunters’ followed her. What they were doing hunting at night, out of season, we don’t want to know.
In a tense, late night rescue, Andrea snuck back out and reset the trap, this time with a wood post as a counterbalance, and they watched breathlessly on camera. After a long, nerve wracking wait, the last dog went back into the trap and the triggered worked. They got her!
Melissa scrambled back out there, and Andrea and Melissa moved the last dog back to the temporary location. Finally reunited, the other dogs were overjoyed to see her. Andrea, Melissa and Katie continued working with these scared pups to increase their confidence.
4 Dogs Left Behind
We still had a huge problem. There was nowhere for these last 4 dogs to go. The rescue mission had already demobilized, and the hoarding case was an officially over… even though there were still 4 dogs with nowhere to go.
Hoping against hope, we reached out to Amy Wade-Carotenuto at Flagler Humane Society, knowing they’re pretty amazing with scared dogs. Years ago, Amy took 3 scared dogs from a litter we trapped in the woods, and they were fantastic with them. We were hoping they could take 2 of these dogs, and we were thrilled when Amy offered to take in all four.
In a final, fitting chapter of this story, Andrea and Melissa loaded them into crates, zip tied them for safety during the transport, and brought them to Flagler Humane Society. All four are now in crates in Amy’s office, and we know they’ll get the love, care and attention they deserve.
Thank you Andrea, Melissa and Jackie for seeing this through to the very end. Thank you Katie for welcoming these pups into your facility, and helping to care for and socialize them. And a HUGE Thank You to Amy and the staff at Flagler Humane Society for going above and beyond to give these dogs a safe place to land.
We are truly in awe of everyone who worked hard to get these last 4 dogs to safety. It’s not over until the last animal is safe.
𝟯𝙓 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩! 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧, 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙏𝙍𝙄𝙋𝙇𝙀𝘿 through 12/31/24, up to $12,000 total, thanks to generous matching donors! To learn more, please visit: https://www.floridaurgentrescue.org/donatemonthly.
To Donate:
— Credit Card: www.floridaurgentrescue.org/donate
— Venmo: @FloridaUrgentRescue
— PayPal: floridaurgentrescue@gmail.com
— Mail: Florida Urgent Rescue
7643 Gate Parkway #104-27
Jacksonville, FL 32256
Florida Urgent Rescue is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and FUR earned a Four-Star Rating on Charity Navigator with a score of 100%, the highest possible rating. FUR also received a Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency by Guidestar, and is a Top Rated Nonprofit on Great Nonprofits.
Comments