A dog named Ezra was found tied near a dumpster in St. Cloud, injured and struggling to stand on her back legs, before a local rescue group stepped in to get her off the street and into treatment. She is now out of the animal hospital and recovering in the care of a Central Florida rescue, after spending eight days abandoned before anyone intervened.
According to WKMG ClickOrlando, Sarah Schmidt, president of The Pittie Party of Central Florida, responded after learning Ezra had been found abandoned eight days earlier. Ezra had wounds on her legs and struggled to put weight on her back legs when she was discovered, the station reports. St. Cloud police scanned Ezra's microchip and traced it to her owner, Patty Weddel, who said she did not believe the officer who told her Ezra had been found.
Weddel told the station that Ezra and her littermate, a dog named Elvis, had been family dogs since the pair were rescued as three-week-old puppies.
Rescue Alleges Dog Was Left Behind Before Disney Trip
“Ezra was found hurt and tied near a St. Cloud dumpster.” St. Cloud police have not confirmed the rescue's account, and investigators have not said whether anyone could face charges in the case, the report notes.
Ezra was found tied near a St. Cloud dumpster, and an allegation placed the incident on September 27.
A Littermate's Fatal Attack Shadows the Case
Ezra's case follows a separate, wrenching incident involving her littermate, Elvis. Per Osceola County officials, Elvis attacked and killed another dog on September 23 and bit the other dog's owner seven times. Elvis's owner surrendered him to Osceola County Animal Services afterward, listing “dangerous and aggressive” as the reason for the surrender, according to the county's account.
Osceola County Animal Services determined Elvis was not a candidate for adoption and euthanized him. Ezra, meanwhile, was signed over to The Pittie Party of Central Florida, the Kissimmee-based foster rescue, according to Petfinder.
What Florida Law Says About Abandonment and Cruelty
Under Florida Statute § 828.13, abandoning an animal in a public place or forsaking it without shelter and sustenance is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, according to the Florida Senate. Florida Statute § 828.12(2) makes aggravated animal cruelty a third-degree felony when a person intentionally commits an act, or a person with custody or control fails to act, resulting in an animal’s cruel death or excessive or repeated unnecessary pain or suffering, according to the Florida Senate.
Florida’s “Dexter's Law” added a 1.25 sentencing multiplier for intentional torture convictions, according to The Brancato Law Firm.
Rescue Says Abandoned Dogs Often Wait for Owners to Return
Rescue's Past Draws Regional Attention The Pittie Party of Central Florida has drawn regional attention before: in August, the group's custom wheelchair for a disabled hospice pit bull named Baby went missing, prompting the nonprofit Ruck9 to offer a replacement mobility device, according to FOX 35 Orlando.
Osceola County Animal Services runs the county's primary public shelter on Old Canoe Creek Road in St. Cloud. Under the county's fee schedule, standard dog adoptions cost $90 while owners of dogs declared dangerous face a $1,000 first-year registration fee.
St. Cloud police have not said whether Ezra's case will result in charges, and the investigation remains active.
