FCSO: “See Something, Say Something” Leads to Arrests After Dogs and Pigeons Found Suffering In A 102-Degree U-Haul Truck

BUNNELL, Fla. — On Thursday, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested two men after deputies found two dogs and two pigeons in distress inside the metal cargo area of a U-Haul box truck as the temperature outside reached 102 degrees.

Deputies responded to the RaceTrac at 301 Palm Coast Parkway Northeast after a caller who “Saw Something, Said Something” and reported seeing a dog trying to climb out of the back of a U-Haul as it drove down the road with the roll-up door slightly up. The caller described it as “a terrible sight.”

Deputies located the U-Haul at the RaceTrac and spoke with the driver, Angel Valdes, 70, of Miami. When asked if his dogs were in distress, Valdes said no and told deputies they “just needed water.” At the back of the truck, deputies could see two large noses pushing through a gap beneath the door.

When the door was opened, deputies found two dogs inside panting heavily. A 70-pound pit bull mix was struggling to stand, and an English bulldog weighing about 80 pounds could not stand at all. Both dogs were lying in their own urine and had to be lifted out because they could not get out on their own. Deputies gave them water, which they drank immediately.

The family told deputies they were in the middle of a move from Miami to Savannah, Georgia, and they put the dogs in the cargo box because their other vehicle felt too crowded. Deputies, however, determined there was room in the family’s other vehicle to carry both dogs.

Palm Coast Animal Control responded and determined the dogs were suffering from neglect and needed a veterinarian immediately. While showing Animal Control the area the dogs had been traveling in, deputies heard chirping coming from a closed storage box that had no air holes. Inside were two full-grown pigeons, which animal control also found to be in distress from the lack of air and water.

Animal Control took custody of both dogs and both pigeons and took them to East Coast Animal Hospital for emergency treatment.

Deputies arrested Valdes and his son, Roy Valdes Hernandez, 35, of Miami, for animal cruelty. Both were transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, and both were later released on a $500 bond.

“If you wouldn’t ride in a metal box in 102-degree heat with no air, don’t force an animal to do it,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “This family had room to bring their dogs up front, but chose to let them cook in the back of a U-Haul instead. Remember, if it has a heartbeat don’t leave it unattended in any vehicle, especially in the current heat wave we are having.”

With summer temperatures climbing, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office urges everyone not to leave anything with a heartbeat inside a hot vehicle, whether it is a child or a pet. The temperature inside a closed vehicle or cargo space can turn deadly within minutes.