Just hours before Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday, Florida Highway Patrol found a dog tied to a fence off Interstate 75 in Tampa.

The four-legged animal was standing in a deep puddle and appeared to be visibly stressed.

Officials immediately jumped into action, 15 minutes later, they confirmed in a post that the dog had been rescued and is in their care.

He was taken to a vet and was given a clean bill of health.

At a news conference, Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed pet owners who abandon their dogs and praised K-9s working in Milton’s aftermath.

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