RUSKIN, Fla. -- Authorities in Hillsborough County are investigating after a woman dumped her pets on the side of the road in Ruskin.
According to C.A.R.E. Animal Shelter, or Critter Adoption and Rescue Effort, the woman tried to surrender 10 cats and one elderly dog Tuesday morning along 27th Street. The Ruskin-based operation is a no-kill facility and had to turn her away because their shelter is full.
"If you have a pet, you can not dump them," said Sherry Silk. "Somebody should come forward and say something."
Silk is the chief executive officer of The Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
Silk tells ABC Action News, pet owners dumping animals is on the rise in Hillsborough County. Just last week, someone tossed a four-week old kitten out of a moving car along Columbus Drive.
There is a $6,000 reward to find out who threw "Columbo" into the street.
“I guess the woman that was on the sidewalk, she screamed," said Silk. "They got the kitten before it could get hit again.”
Anyone caught abandoning their pet is subject to a fine and/or jail time. Those convicted will also land on the county's animal abuser registry.
If there are no other options, Hillsborough County's Pet Resource Center is the only open admissions facility in the county. You can find more information on the facility here.
