TAMARAC, FLA. (WSVN) - A small dog was rescued from a dumpster behind a Tamarac restaurant, leading a local animal rescue organization to step in and take action.
The dog was found behind a La Granja restaurant at 5701 N University Drive, Monday.
Hernando Delgado rescued the dog from the dumpster.
“When I went and noticed, there’s a lot of garbage right here, and I see the dog there, so I try and grab it,” Delgado said. “The dog was so scared there. It’s shaking.”
Employees at La Granja restaurant said a truck pulled up to the dumpster at around 1:32 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
Ana Fernandez, who works at the restaurant, said the driver appeared nervous and seemed upset.
After the driver left, workers went out to the dumpster and found the 3 or 4-year-old dog.
“They say, ‘It’s kind of suspicious, this guy over here,’ because they put in reverse the truck, right here. This is only for commercial plaza, they aren’t suppose to dump, garbage here, and he had something and he dumped that, ” Delgado said.
Delgado also said that when he got the dog out of the garbage, it ran off but returned to the scene. He put the dog on a leash and called Saving Sage Animal Rescue.
Deputies spoke to several witnesses on Monday at the restaurant.
“Somebody put the dog in the dumpster and there are cameras on the location,” said Gina Vlasek with Saving Sage Animal Rescue. “Police are trying to find who did this and how it happened.”
The team quickly arrived at the scene, retrieved the canine, and promptly arranged for a veterinarian to assess her condition.
“We did check her out, she seemed, other than being terrified, she seems pretty healthy,” Vlasek said. “Her blood work isn’t back yet. She seems good, she ate a little bit, she drank water and now, she’s just decompressing.”
“I don’t know why these people do that,” Delgado said. “This is, something is criminal. It’s not suppose to be like that. This is not right, so that is why I feel good the dog is safe.”
The animal rescue found the dog a foster family.
While the dog is micro-chipped, the rescue said they cannot find its owner that way.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office has been notified and will initiate an investigation into the alleged neglect and abandonment of the dog.
If you have any information on this crime, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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