Dog Found Tied To Fence Amid Hurricane Is ‘Decompressing,’ Has Perfect New Name

A dog whose rescue from Hurricane Milton floodwaters went viral this week is now safe, dry and “decompressing,” according to the Florida animal shelter now in charge of his care.

The male bull terrier was seen in a Wednesday video from the Florida Highway Patrol, standing chest-deep in water next to a fence off the side of the road north of Tampa as Hurricane Milton closed in on the region. The agency wrote that the dog had been “left tied to a pole.”

A highway trooper could be heard speaking reassuringly the dog, and a follow-up photo showed the canine with a blanket in the back of a vehicle.

The dog ultimately ended up in the care of the Leon County Humane Society, which has been helping animals displaced by the hurricane. The nonprofit named the dog Trooper, “because of how much he’s been through and to honor those who saved him,” according to a Thursday social media post.

Trooper is “safe and sound” but “incredibly stressed and still decompressing,” the shelter wrote.

The organization emphasized that the pup is not yet available for adoption.

“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,” the shelter wrote.

McClatchy News reported earlier that the trooper who rescued the dog had volunteered to care for him, but it was unclear if that person was still involved.

After Trooper’s rescue went viral, some online posts have claimed that the dog was not tied to the fence on purpose, but instead had gotten his collar stuck, and that he had since been reunited with his family.

The humane society addressed the second claim on Friday, stating that Trooper had not been reunited with any owners. The rumor stemmed from a mistake by a “volunteer-run lost and found pet group” where the trooper initially brought the dog after saving him from the floodwater. The group had then given the dog back to the trooper to be transported elsewhere, but erroneously filed the interaction as “returned to owner.”

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles did not immediately respond to a request for comment from HuffPost about whether it’s possible the dog was not tied up intentionally.