JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A candlelight vigil was held outside Animal Care and Protective Services (ACPS) to honor “Miracle,” the name rescuers gave a severely emaciated Great Dane found on the side of a Jacksonville road.
The dog, also known as Oak, did not survive, but his story continues to spark outrage, community action, and changes within the shelter.
Rodney Renfroe was the first to find the dog on November 2, curled up and starving.
“It literally made me sick my stomach,” he said.
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Renfroe took a photo and posted it on Facebook in hopes someone would step in to help. That post was seen by Perrin Todd, who immediately drove to the area to search for the animal.
“I had a until I saw a white hat pop-up. I had no one would’ve ever known where he was,” Todd said.
She kept driving until she finally spotted movement along the roadside.
“A white head popped up, and I immediately knew that’s, that’s Oak,” she recalled.
Oak was found alone, terrified, starved, and on the brink of death. Despite that, Todd remembered how desperately he still wanted help.
“It’s incredible that this dog had the tail still wagging and had enough in him to want to be taken somewhere,” she said.
Todd contacted ACPS, where veterinarians began treating the dog. But they determined Oak was simply too weak to survive.
A photo shared by the shelter, partially blurred due to its graphic nature, showed his ribs and spine clearly visible. Oak weighed just 50 pounds when he was found, though a Great Dane of his size should weigh more than 100.
Local Great Dane owner Robert, who brought his 180-pound dog George to the vigil to show what healthy looks like, reacted strongly to Oak’s condition.
“If you’re a dog lover, you’ve never let that happen,” he said.
Nearly a month after Todd discovered Oak, investigators charged Dawn Lipford with felony animal cruelty. She is scheduled to appear in court on December 2. The case comes as Florida introduces two new anti-abuse laws, which carry penalties of up to five years in prison and fines up to $10,000.
According to ACPS, Oak’s death has already prompted internal changes. The shelter created a new position, a humane education coordinator designed to teach the public about proper pet care and help prevent similar cases of neglect.
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