Jan Harwood was going about her business in Spring Hill, Florida, on May 3, 2019, when she saw something strange on the road. It was a pickup truck barreling down Northcliffe Rd. with something tied to it, flopping around behind it.
At first, Harwood couldn’t tell what the white object was, thinking that maybe it was a trash bag. The truth turned out to be much more horrific.
In fact, the object was a pit bull that had fallen out of the back of the truck and was now being dragged across the asphalt at a speed approaching 40 miles per hour.
Ollie had sustained terrible injuries from being dragged across the road, particularly on his left side, which had taken the brunt. His skin and foot pads were completely worn off in places, though fortunately he didn’t sustain any broken bones.
“It’s a tremendous feeling to know this baby boy has survived that horrible accident,” Harwood told WTVT. She and the team at Nature Coast set about helping Ollie get back on his feet, which was easy for them because of how sweet the dog was.
Local woman Stefanie Grader stepped up to help cover the costs of all the medical procedures that Ollie needed, raising almost $4,000, according to the Nature Coast Facebook page. As they announced on May 17, “it was more than enough to cover his injuries so all of the extra money was placed in a secure account in honor of Ollie . The extra money will be used to help other pets that may need our help!”
While Ollie was quickly becoming the star of the center, the search was on for the person responsible for his terrifying brush with death. Thanks to dedicated work by Hernando county animal control and police officers, the man, named Gregory Tousignant, was found and brought to justice.
To start with, Tousignant was driving without a license. To add to that, he had failed to secure Ollie in a fast-moving truck, leaving the tailgate open and poorly tying a rope to the truck.
After Ollie’s former owner was sentenced, many people took to Nature Coast’s Facebook page to express how happy they were that some justice had been done, but many felt that the man deserved a much longer sentence. “270 days for almost killing a precious animal? That is not enough punishment!” one user, Nadia Dombrowski, wrote.
Meanwhile, the center and its employees are continuing to take great care of Ollie, showing him on his outings and even receiving a special care package.
After a horrible moment in his life, he’s ended up in a much better place! With offers to adopt him from dog lovers all over the area, he’s got a bright future to look forward to.
