Kind of a Drag

Poor dog!

A Hillsborough County deputy pulled over a Riverview woman this morning after noticing her dragging a leashed dog behind her pickup, officials said.

Maria Alvizo, 27, did not know the dog was tied to the bumper of the 1991 Ford F-150 when she left her home about 7 a.m., the sheriff's office said.

The dog died of its injuries.

The mixed-breed dog, known as Blacky or Junior, was a stray that Alvizo's family had been feeding since it was abandoned by its owner, the sheriff's office said. To keep the animal from following neighborhood children to the bus stop, Alvizo's mother tied the dog to the pickup in the yard about 5:30 a.m., the sheriff's office said.

The Alvizos have several vehicles, and the truck usually is not used. Alvizo decided to take the truck this morning because her vehicle wasn't working, the sheriff's office said.

She did not notice the dog and had driven three to four miles when the deputy stopped her, the sheriff's office said.

No charges will be filed, authorities said.

Riverview is south of Tampa, in a rural (cue banjo) area of Hillsborough County.