Raid on hidden camp reveals runaway dog was living secret life, Florida deputies say

A dog found hanging out at a suspected drug den in the Florida woods is giving rare insight into the world of wayward dogs, investigators say.

Turns out the “cur mix” had a more traditional home on the other side of town, but somehow ended up hanging out where methamphetamine and hydrocodone were on tap, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office discovered.

Deputies descended on the campsite near Fort Meade on Sunday, June 23, and arrested three people on felony charges, the sheriff’s office said in a June 26 news release. Fort Meade is about a 55-mile drive southeast from Tampa.

“A PCSO Animal Control officer responded to take custody of the dog. In doing so, (the) pooch was checked for a microchip, and one was found,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The chip revealed that the dog had been reported missing by its owner on April 29, 2023, after it ran away. We are happy to report that the dog has been reunited with its person.”

Details of the reunion were not released, and there is no evidence the three people arrested — two men and a woman — “had anything to do with the dog’s disappearance,” the sheriff’s office said.

The camp was raided after a property owner reported someone illegally camping on their property along the Peace River.

“Detectives went to the property and located the three uninvited guests and their two tents,” the sheriff’s office said.

“In addition to the tents, the detectives found that the three suspects brought property into their campsite and created a large amount of trash. They had also been burning plastics and household items in the woods. ... The amount of trash the trio created qualified for a felony.”

Deputies also found methamphetamine, hydrocodone and drug paraphernalia, officials said.

A Facebook post revealing the dog’s story had more than 1,200 reactions and comments as of June 28, many from people who cheered the owner’s use of a microchip to track the dog.

“I feel so bad for the dog. There’s no telling what it’s been through,” one woman wrote on the sheriff’s office Facebook page. “I’m sure it’s had a very tough life. ... He or she has a long road ahead getting reuniting with its family and dealing mentally with all it’s been through.”