MIAMI (WSVN) - A dog that was led out of a car was left behind at a South Florida park. The dog, now named Sunflower, was left to fend for herself on the streets until a good Samaritan rescued her the same day she was left behind.
Surveillance cameras caught the heartbreaking moment when the American Bulldog was abandoned.
“It’s disheartening to see someone do this to an animal,” said Jennifer Diliz, who rescued Sunflower.
The video showed a car pulling up to the Athalie Range Park in Miami on Friday.
Someone is then seen leading the dog into the park and then closed the gate behind them, leaving the pet all alone.
The person then gets back in the passenger seat and drives away.
As for the pup, it realized she’s all by herself and desperately tried to get back to her owners.
“It’s really sad because this dog didn’t know what was going on, she almost didn’t want to get out of the car, and she’s seen running after the car because she’s kinda like, ‘Where are my humans?’ They just dumped me here, they just left me,'” Diliz said.
Diliz found Sunflower and took her in.
Now, she’s at a rescue searching for a forever home.
But something like Sunflower’s situation isn’t new, and shelters are seeing a troubling trend of people dumping their pets on the streets.
“Unfortunately, we see it a lot these days, the economy is bad, people are not able to care for their animals anymore, but there’s always an option,” Diliz said. “So, I ask people to ask for help and not give up and just not dump their pets out there.”
“There’s just not enough room in shelters, and people can’t afford to care for their pets,” said Natalie Paige, with Big Dog Ranch Rescue.
According to Florida law it’s illegal to abandon a dog without providing care.
Now, Miami Police are working with animal services to investigate this incident since the dog was left without food and water.
“It’s just not fair to these little animals,” Diliz said. “They don’t know any better and they’re so good to us, the least we can do is return the goodness to them.”
Sunflower is under a two week quarantine in Palm Beach County before she can be put up for adoption.
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