NEED TO KNOW
- A couple living in a Daytona Beach apartment complex rescued a dog that was abandoned in a garbage disposal
- Heather Jones and her husband Brandon Arroyo are fostering the pet, whom they have named “Daytona”
- Local police say the dog “was not microchipped,” and if the owner does not come forward, Arroyo will give it “a permanent, loving home”
A dog in Daytona Beach, Fla., was rescued after being found injured and abandoned in an apartment complex’s dumpster on July 6.
“This act of cruelty is unacceptable, and we are fully committed to pursuing all leads to identify and hold the responsible party accountable,” the Daytona Beach Police Department said in a July 9 statement to The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Heather Jones, whose husband, Brandon Arroyo, rescued the dog, organized a GoFundMe to raise funds for its care. Arroyo works for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, per WESH, and the couple lives at the apartment complex.
GoFundMe
“This morning, my husband received a courtesy call from a resident in our apartment complex that a dog had been dumped in the trash compactor on site,” Jones wrote, adding that the dog’s “rear end” needs medical attention. The dog could “walk, but with great difficulty.”
“I’m sure this will involve X-rays and potentially surgery. He’s not in any pain, but we want to get this sweet boy the medical attention he needs and the care he deserves,” Jones wrote.
She described the dog as “gentle and mild-mannered,” noting that he doesn’t appear to be old, but will still require procedures such as getting neutered and receiving a worming treatment.
As of Friday, July 11, the couple surpassed their goal of $5,000, raising nearly $7,000 for the canine.
“When you lower it down, he was all the way down there at the bottom,” Arroyo told WESH when explaining how he rescued Daytona, the name they temporarily gave the dog while fostering him. “There was more trash in there so he was all crammed with the trash.”
“You know, to put someone in the trash compactor like this… it’s beyond just kicking him out to the street,” he continued. “He doomed this dog. If no one found him, it would have been over for him.”
GoFundMe
The couple gave him a bath inside their home. Photos shared by WESH showed Jones smiling at the camera as she sat in the tub with a lathered-up Daytona.
“We immediately noticed that something was up with his hips,” she said. “So he’s scheduled to get an X-ray done on Tuesday of next week. He also needs to be neutered, and he has these floppy claws on the back that they want to remove because they tend to cause problems.”
GoFundMe
“As soon as we rescued him out of the compactor, he took to us pretty much immediately and has been just the friendliest, sweetest guy. He’s very cuddly,” Jones told WESH.
She said their apartment complex does not have security cameras, but she’s doing all she can to help local police figure out who could have dumped the dog.
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“I was looking for personal cameras since the complex doesn’t have any,” she said.
“Thanks to the quick response of an FWC officer, the dog was safely recovered,” a Daytona Beach Police spokesperson told WESH. “The officer has since ensured the dog received proper veterinary care, including necessary vaccinations.”
The dog did not have a microchip, police said, adding that an owner has yet to come forward. Arroyo “expressed the intention” to give Daytona a permanent home if no owner is located, police said.
