Video shows owner speed off after young dog abandoned at Miami park – NBC 6 South Florida

South Florida animal shelters are sounding the alarm about the number of owners giving up their pets amid financial hardships and limited resources after new video showed the heartbreaking moment a family pet is abandoned.

On Friday, a Miami home surveillance camera captured someone driving to a gated entrance at Athalie Range Park in Little Haiti and abandoning a young American bulldog mix at the park before speeding off.

Outrage grew over the weekend as the video started circulating on social media.

A nearby resident who noticed the wandering dog called independent animal rescuer Jennifer Diliz for help.

“She jumped right into my car. She seemed very lost,” said Diliz. “I understand we’re in tough times, I understand people make decisions under distress and under emotional circumstances, but it is never an excuse to just dump an animal.”

Diliz drove the dog, Sunflower, to the Big Dog Ranch Rescue located just outside of West Palm Beach.

Natalie Paige Rubino with Big Dog Ranch Rescue says Sunflower is undergoing medical evaluations for the next couple of weeks and is in “good spirits.”

“Sadly, this happens very frequently,” said Rubino. “We are facing a 60% increase in owner surrenders across shelters and rescues across the nation.”

With area shelters at capacity, rescue shelters up north are now feeling the stress.

“We are going to be tripling the rate of dogs being surrendered,” said Rubino. “Owners that want to surrender their dogs are not able to even find a shelter that has availability or space.”

Rubino urges pet owners facing difficult decisions to reach out to the community for help. Sometimes a simple Facebook post can make a difference.

“You’ll be surprised how a community will rally behind you to help with food and medical costs,” said Rubino.

Owners who abandon their pets in Miami-Dade can face fines in the thousands of dollars.

As of Monday evening, the City of Miami Police Department was unable to provide specifics on the status of this incident.