Back when Hurricane Irma had left Floridians with flood damage, the animal control officers on the scene had a very tough choice to make.
There were a lot of animals who had been left behind because their owners could not save them when they were looking for a way out themselves. In Lakeland, there was a large group of dogs who were found in an outdoor kennel.
There were cases where the animals had been found that were chest deep water. One of the dogs was located over a picnic table. This dog would have been in a lot of danger if it hadn’t been for the brave efforts of rescuers.
A group of officers from the local animal control acted immediately. The only problem is that according to protocol, they are supposed to wait 24 hours.
It became apparent that the officers would need to make a tough choice. Keeping their jobs requires that they follow protocol because it was established to protect their own lives. On the other hand, they knew that not acting could result in a loss of life. The dogs had not been fed in days.
Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control issued a stern warning to all those people who thought they had left their pets suffering during these storms. The state would be filing felony charges against all those who were found guilty of abandoning their pets purposefully. They are true heroes.
This is something I was glad that happened. I was also glad that the officials decided to go more with their gut instinct than to follow the book. Check out the cool story and the even better acting by these officials.
