- April 25, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
Amy Wade-Carotenuto was working late on Thursday, Sept. 7, at the Flagler Humane Society when she noticed a man at the entrance.
The man, an owner of two dogs, wanted to know if the Humane Society was boarding pets.
Wade-Carotenuto, the executive director, told him no, and the man left — but not before tying his dogs to a stop sign near the building's entrance and speeding away in his car with a woman.
With her phone in hand, Wade-Carotenuto tried to chase after him to take a picture.
“These kind of disasters bring out the best in people and the worst in people,” she said. “It’s crazy.”
Duke, a black lab-pit mix, and Marley, a blue-and-white pit-mix, are being held by the Humane Society, located at 1 Shelter Drive in Palm Coast. The owners had Duke for nine years.
“The awesome news is I was able to trace the tag, and we know exactly who owns the dogs,” Wade-Carotenuto said. “These people aren’t going to get their dogs back.”
Due to the storm, Wade-Carotenuto said legal action will not be taken just yet, but the Humane Society is looking to press abandonment charges as soon as possible.
“I don’t know what the rush was with these two to abandon them so quickly like that,” she said. “But that’s the thing. People need to realize, if you don’t make provisions for your pet, you may not get it back afterward.”
Pet owners have the option to either evacuate to the homes of friends and family or to seek shelter at Bunnell Elementary School, located at 305 N. Palmetto St.
Only dogs, cats, birds, rabbits and turtles will be allowed in the shelter. Snakes, reptiles (other than turtles), farm animals and livestock will not be permitted.
For owners of livestock and other farm animals, having a prepared plan-of-action is essential. Wade-Carotenuto said animals like horses and other livestock have the instincts to seek safety during rough weather — unless they're penned up. The best option, Wade-Carotenuto said, is to paint contact information on the sides of the animals and place them in as safe an area as possible so they can take care of themselves.
“It really is the responsibility of the owner, when they obtain a certain species, to make sure that they’ve got a plan,” Wade-Carotenuto said. “People just have to have friends and family and take each other in and help each other out during these kind of things, and that includes the four-legged family or the scales and the feathers.”
