TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Leon County Humane Society Foster Coordinator Amy Raddar has fostered thousands of dogs. Her care for Trooper, a Bull Terrier abandoned during Hurricane Milton, inspired the passage of “Trooper’s Law,” which protects pets during natural disasters.
- Raddar was entrusted to care for Trooper, a Bull Terrier, found tied to a fence along I-75 during Hurricane Milton in 2024.
- Trooper’s Law makes restraining or abandoning an animal outside during a declared natural disaster or evacuation order a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
- Watch the video below to hear more about her and Trooper's story.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It’s hard to count on one hand the number of animals that have reached Tallahassee neighbor Amy Raddar’s care.
She says this labor of love started as a child.
“Nothing is to me more rewarding than taking this poor broken being and raising it back up and putting it in a better situation than it came out of,” Raddar said.
It’s led to her fostering more than 1000 dogs and a proclamation from the City of Tallahassee, driven by one case close to her heart.
“How did Trooper come into the picture?” ABC 27 asked.
“It was during the hurricane, and I just remember I was home. It was like 8 o'clock. Then I got a phone call on my phone,” Raddar said.
Trooper is the name of this Bull Terrier.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers found him tied to a fence along I-75 during Hurricane Milton in 2024.
“Governor DeSantis, somebody in his camp had called and said, ‘Listen, here's what happened, you know, he's here we need a place for him to go. Would you take him?’ and I was like ‘Yeah,’” she said.
The story got national and international attention, and it led to the creation of Trooper’s Law in Florida.
It makes “restraining or abandoning an animal outdoors during a declared natural disaster or during evacuation orders” a third-degree felony.
Anyone in violation can face up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
“It feels great. We need obviously you know we need to do more. We need stronger laws,” Raddar said.
Executive Director of the Leon County Humane Society Lisa Glunt says the law is just the beginning of work done to protect animals.
But there’s still a need for fosters.
“We see more of a struggle in terms of fostering now than I think we even did 10 years ago,” Glunt said.
She hopes Amy’s and Trooper’s story inspires others to make a difference.
“I hope that people will open their minds to what they could do in their own home,” Glunt said.
Amy tells me she still checks up on Trooper every once in a while. He is now adopted by a family.
If you want to become a foster, you can fill out an application online.
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