JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Residents in one Jacksonville community are fed up with people who purposely dump and abandon pets in their neighborhood.
Late Tuesday morning, animal control was made aware of a dog that was believed to have been dropped off and left abandoned on Drew Street in the South Riverside neighborhood near San Marco.
Neighbors told News4JAX the dog was friendly and appeared to be used to being around people.
“People were kind enough to leave food for him, but I felt bad. He stayed on my porch for a little bit, then he took off,” said neighbor Erica Brown.
The dog was taken to the Animal Care and Protective Services shelter, where the staff named the animal ‘Aviator.’
Neighbors told News4JAX that Aviator was first spotted on Drew Street Monday evening. They said it was obvious that he had been dropped off and abandoned because it seemed like he was unfamiliar with the area. They said for hours on end, he kept walking back and forth between Sheridan Street and Ashland Street, trying to figure out where to go.
Unfortunately, Aviator was not the first dog that was dropped off in that community.
“It’s a huge problem. This whole area up through Lakewood, I’ve seen so many dumped animals. It’s so frustrating because they’re scared. They don’t know where to go. They have to try to trust people they don’t know,” Brown said.
Animal Control Chief, Michael Bricker, said pet owners who can no longer care for their animal have better options than dumping and abandoning the animal. Bricker said pet owners can call the shelter and make an appointment to surrender the animal, but they advise calling days in advance to allow the shelter staff enough time to make space for the animal.
“I know people are worried because we’re always at capacity and full, but this is an option for you. If we can’t schedule them, and there’s no other option but for the dog to come in that day, we’ll make space for that dog. The last thing we want you to do is dump a dog, especially where they don’t know their surrounding or anything like that.”
The Jacksonville Humane Society is another option. Development Director, Lindsay Layendecker, said the Humane Society has assistance programs in place to help pet owners who may be financially struggling to care for their pets.
“If you need options like access to low-cost veterinary care, or if you need to know where the local pet food bank is, even if you need behavioral help, then reach out to us. If we can’t help you, we will put you in touch with someone who can,” Layendecker said.
Another option for struggling pet owners is neighborhood social media apps like Nextdoor.com.
“Nextdoor.com has been amazing. Just posting on the app, they can find a foster home for their pet. People jump in, even if they are not the one who can bring the dog to us, if you hop on the app or Facebook, and say I have this situation with this dog that needs to go to the shelter, more often than not, someone will jump in and say I‘ll do that for you,” Bricker said.
Experts said if you find a dog that appears to have been abandoned, you can call the Humane Society or animal control and let them know you are interested in fostering the animal for a certain length of time until they can take possession of the animal. Both organizations can provide pet food, crates, leashes, and pet toys.
If an abandoned animal has a microchip or a facial picture on file with an animal organization, investigators can use facial recognition software or information on the microchip to track down the owner who abandoned the animal. Bricker said those technological tools can help law enforcement file charges against the owner.
As for Aviator, he’s no longer abandoned and is now being prepped so that he can be adopted by a new forever family.