Abandoned dog left tied to fence on side of I-75 hours before Hurricane Milton hits

‘Please don’t do this to your pets,’ police said after finding the dog

Florida police found an abandoned dog tied to a fence on the side of a major interstate as Hurricane Milton races toward the state.

The Florida Highway Patrol in Tampa found what appears to be a bull terrier tied to a chicken-wire fence near Interstate 75 on Wednesday. The dog was already knee-deep in water when officers arrived, according to video shared by the Florida Highway Patrol.

“FHP Troopers rescued a dog left tied to a pole on I-75 near Bruce B Downs Blvd this morning,” the agency wrote on X. “Do NOT do this to your pets please.”

The animal is now safe with police.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis said anyone abandoning their pets in the face of the hurricane would pay the price. He tweeted: “It is cruel for anyone to leave a dog tied to a post in the middle of an oncoming storm. FL will hold anyone who mistreats pets accountable.”

Pictures released Monday showed a mother and baby orangutan huddling together, as well as workers lifting a porcupine named “Chompers” into a crate. The zoo’s flamingos were also put into the back of a truck and moved as a herd.

“The zoo has a comprehensive severe weather plan in place to ensure the safety of our animals and team members and will take all precautions as conditions warrant,” it said in a social media post on Monday.

Larger animals such as elephants, giraffes, panthers and bears have barns or night housing that are hurricane-proof, but birds and smaller animals are being moved to kennels, Sandra Torres, vice president of marketing and communications for the zoo, previously told The Independent.

Hurricane Milton is just hours away from making landfall in Florida. The storm’s intensity has fluctuated in recent days, weakening to a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday afternoon.

However, the National Hurricane Center predicts it will be “one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.”

High winds and storm surge are predicted to devastate the state. Many residents are under evacuation orders as the state braces for 18 inches of rainfall and up to 15 feet of storm surge.

Video below:

Céline Dion Shares a Heartbreaking Glimpse Into Her Battle With Illness

Céline Dion’s documentary, I Am: Celine Dion, has been finally released, offering a rare and candid look into her daily struggles. In one particularly vulnerable moment, Dion shares her experience of suffering a terrifying seizure that lasted several minutes.

The documentary captures a tense moment as Céline Dion undergoes a medical evaluation. The Grammy-winning artist has been struggling with spasms linked to stiff person syndrome, a rare and progressive neurological disorder.

Lying down on a massage table, 56-year-old Dion experiences spasms. Her doctor, Lobo, cautions that these spasms could “lead to a crisis.”

Soon after, the icon begins to experience a severe seizure. Her doctor swiftly calls for another medical team member to give her a medication used to treat nervous system disorders.

At that moment, Dion can be heard groaning in pain as she shakes uncontrollably while lying face down. In a startling moment, Dion appears wide-eyed and unable to move independently.

Despite her condition, she remains conscious and manages to signal her awareness by weakly squeezing one of the medical expert’s hands.

Following the administration of two doses of a nasal spray, Dion starts to recover from the seizure. The doctor mentions that if she hadn’t responded, they would have needed to rush her to the hospital.

As the My Heart Will Go On singer seems to regain her composure, she confesses to everyone in the room that experiences like these leave her feeling “so embarrassed.”

Describing her horrible experience, the singer says, “I don’t know how to express it, like, it’s just … you know, like, to not have control of yourself?” Her doctor, Lobo, explains that the likely trigger for the seizure was Dion’s recent session in the studio where she had been singing, which overstimulated her brain.

Dion replied, “Well, what am I gonna do? If I can’t get stimulated by what I love, and then I’m gonna go onstage and, like, you’re gonna put the pulse oximeter on me, and you’re gonna turn me on my back?”

Céline revealed her stiff person syndrome diagnosis back in December 2022. The star had to cancel tour dates in Europe, postpone her Las Vegas residency scheduled for October 2021, and later cancel her North American tour.

We admire Céline Dion’s determination and strength in the face of the formidable challenges she has encountered. Her life has been a journey fraught with difficulties from a young age, and here are seven major struggles that have shaped her into the inspirational icon she is today.

Preview photo credit I Am: Celine Dion / Sony Music and co-producers