An investigation is underway after a dog was tied up outside an animal shelter in Charlotte County late Wednesday night. The Animal Welfare League is off Drance Street in Port Charlotte.
Charlotte County Animal Control said that the dog broke free from the pole, chased a car and then made its way back to the Animal Welfare League.
Geroy Neal Jr., a lifelong resident of Punta Gorda, knows how much a dog can mean to a person.
"When they say man’s best friend, a dog is a man’s best friend," Neal said.
Neal is lost for words after learning that this dog was dumped and tied to a pole. The dog was found Thursday morning.
"Let you feel what that dog felt. He didn’t ask for that, and here you are doing that to him," he said.
Charlotte County Animal Control is going over the surveillance video to see if any laws or ordinances have been violated. Brian Jones, the Charlotte County Animal Control Division manager, said they take these calls seriously.
"We take it very seriously," Jones said. "If it’s a civil abandonment, you know, it’s a punishable, a fine, a criminal abandonment, you know, it could be a felony. You could be incarcerated for something like that."
He said that this could've all been avoided if the owner just waited until the animal shelter was open and dropped the dog off safely. The dog is safe and sound at the moment.
"I mean, this is the best thing in the world, you know, to have your dog with you by your side, but if you don’t want him, take him to the shelter," Neal said.
This is an active investigation.