Dog abandoned during Hurricane Milton beats cancer and other health scare after finding forever family

CBS News

17-02-2025

A dog who was abandoned as Hurricane Milton hit Florida last October is overcoming new challenges and living up to his name — Trooper.
Police said Trooper, a 5-year-old bull terrier, was dumped in rising floodwaters near Tampa, Florida, and reportedly tied to a post. He was rescued by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper and later named in honor of the trooper who found him.
After a search for a new home for Trooper went viral, he settled in with his new forever family, Frank and Karla Spina, and their dog, Dallas. Not long after that, the Spinas noticed the dog had two dime-sized lumps on his left side, according to Frank Spina.
"The doctor immediately said, 'Oh no, these are mass cell tumors. These are cancer.' So we were in a complete meltdown," Frank Spina said.
Trooper needed surgery to remove the cancer. Afterwards, the family waited to see if it was successful.
"We don't have children. These are our children," Frank Spina said about Trooper and Dallas. "And then we got that good news and ... when we left the doctor's office that day after he got his stitches out, the doctor said he's done, he's cancer free. We were literally in tears, just walking to the car, happy tears."
But it wasn't Trooper's happy ending yet.
"He was out and walking and he just started putting his head down. I went under him and he vomited and a piece of rubber came out of his mouth," Frank Spina said.
When Trooper was getting prepared for his cancer surgery, the veterinarian told the Spinas he appeared to have something in his stomach and to keep an eye on it. A few weeks later, Trooper got sick and they were horrified by what the vet found.
"So this is actually a freezer bag. This freezer bag weighs 2.1 pounds. It's a combination of about 110 or 120 pieces of garbage," Frank Spina said about the objects found in Trooper's stomach.
Trooper needed a life-saving procedure, which took place this month.
Dr. Gonzales, who has 25 years of experience and was one of the vets who treated Trooper, called it a "once in a lifetime career case." It took vets in Miami more than four hours to remove the metal and rubber from his stomach.
The veterinarians confirmed the trash was in Trooper's body before the Spinas adopted him.
"Could you imagine how starved he had to be to ingest a piece of metal or, or pieces of rubber that are the size of quarters?" Frank Spina said.
Gonzales said English bull terriers are known to eat things and owners of these dogs know not to give pets many toys because of that. With Trooper's situation, veterinarians say it's possible Trooper lived outside or was chained up and eating trash for nourishment or out of boredom.
Now, Frank Spina, a criminal defense attorney, is not just fighting for Trooper's health. He and Karla Spina are also fighting for justice, for the abuse they allege Trooper endured before he came to them.
Trooper's previous owner, Giovanny Garcia, is charged with aggravated animal cruelty. In October last year, he agreed to give up Trooper to a foster family provided "they would take good care and love the dog," his arrest report stated.
Frank Spina said Trooper will be at each hearing as the victim witness. The next hearing is in March.
"Every single hearing, a trial, a sentencing, we will be there," he said. "He's going to have to look at this dog and account for what he did to him."
Through a challenging journey, Trooper is now happy and loving life with his new family, who has decades of experience with bull terriers.
"He's my best friend and I think I'm his best friend," Frank Spina said. "I think my wife would agree that I would rather give my life and she would give her life, save his life."