An abandoned puppy found in a crate at a Medina County rest area has been given a new home by a sheriff’s deputy after an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper came to his rescue.
Trooper John Kronander discovered the dog during a routine check on August 23. The puppy had been left inside a crate covered with cardboard, without food or water.
Body-camera footage shows Kronander opening the crate and reassuring the animal before it began playing with him. The energetic puppy pawed at a bottle and appeared eager to leave with the trooper.
Kronander took the dog to the Medina post before transporting him to the Medina County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the puppy was safely removed from the rest area “thanks to his quick action and compassion”.
The Medina County SPCA described the abandonment as “heartbreaking” and “completely unacceptable”, saying someone had deliberately left a vulnerable animal beside a busy interstate.
The shelter initially named the dog Miles and estimated that he was a three- to four-month-old pit bull and Great Dane mix. He was later adopted on September 5 by Deputy Matthew Denton of the Medina County Sheriff’s Office.
Denton is a friend of Kronander, and said he first heard about the puppy while the two men were working together on a separate service call. After meeting the dog, he discussed the possibility of adoption with his family.
The family chose the name Trooper in honour of the officer who rescued him.
“We had thrown out about five different names, and I had read some of the news articles and everyone said name it Trooper,” Denton said.
Trooper has reportedly settled into his new home and is getting along with the family’s other dogs.
“We are so happy for this little guy getting his happy ending and finding his forever family!” the Medina County SPCA said.
The rescue footage attracted widespread attention online, with tens of thousands of reactions and nearly two million views reported on social media.
Authorities are still investigating who left the puppy at the rest area. Animal abandonment is a criminal offence in Ohio, with penalties ranging from a second-degree misdemeanour for a first offence to a first-degree misdemeanour for subsequent offences.
