One of the feel-good/feel bad stories coming out of Florida this hurricane season is a Florida Highway Patrolman rescuing a dog who had been left to die during Milton. 

The story became viral, and Governor DeSantis highlighted the story both to thank law enforcement for the work they were doing and to warn people against animal cruelty. 

I love this trooper so much for how kind he is to this poor, abandoned dog. TIED to a fence during hurricane Milton. AWFUL. But yay, thank you, Florida Highway Patrol! https://t.co/lSeymPJW6T

— Fuzzy Slippers (@fuzislippers) October 16, 2024

DeSantis promised to hunt down the miscreants who left a pet to die, and he did just that, to the applause of Floridians. I don't know if the dog was chipped or wearing a license tag, but law enforcement found some way to track down the owners and take them into custody. 

Remember that dog Florida Troopers found, tied up to a fence beside the highway as Hurricane Milton loomed?@GovRonDeSantis promised they’d find his former owners and charge them to the fullest extent of the law.

Yet again, DeSantis delivers: pic.twitter.com/OFdVMZgs4D

— Bree A Dail (@breeadail) October 15, 2024

It may, to some, seem a small thing and beneath the attention of a governor facing multiple crises to have law enforcement track down the irresponsible owners of a pet, but I beg to differ. 

It is about preserving civilization. We track down and shoot looters in a crisis not because we value THINGS above lives but because we need civilization in crises. When civilizations face crises, the civilized are those who put things back together. People descending into barbarians in times of crisis are even more dangerous than the uncivilized when things are going well. 

Resilience depends on people being decent to each other. It is why we highlight stories of heroism and sacrifice especially when things are going off the rails. 

Not everybody can be a hero, and that is all right. Heroes are heroes because they go above and beyond. 

But everybody can and should be civilized, and DeSantis is reminding everybody that this is the minimum standard in our society.