Some Glades residents fleeing Hurricane Irma left their pets tethered to trees and cars before evacuating the area, county officials said Saturday.
Dianne Sauve, head of Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control, said the department will be pursuing criminal charges against owners who abandoned their dogs and left them tied up in places where they would not be able to escape the storm.
On Friday, 23 abandoned dogs were removed from one mobile home park the Glades region, Sauve said. County officials will file court documents seeking legal custody of the dogs that were abandoned and left to fend for themselves during the storm, Sauve added.
In total, animal control officers rescued 26 dogs from Pahokee and Belle Glade on Friday. Animal control closed at 1 p.m. Saturday.
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