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Case Snapshot

Case ID: 12334

Classification: Burning - Fire or Fireworks, Beating

Animal: dog (pit-bull)

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Attorneys/Judges

Judge(s):

Charles Price

Images for this Case

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Case #12334 Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Chained dog beaten with shovel, set on fire
Montgomery, AL (US)

Incident Date: Friday, Sep 7, 2007
County: Montgomery

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 8 files available

Defendant/Suspect: Juan Daniels

Case Updates: 4 update(s) available

The abuse and burning of a 2-year-old pit bull has the phones ringing off the hook and donations pouring in at the Montgomery Humane Society.

The dog was beaten with a shovel, soaked with lighter fluid and set on fire while chained to a post Sept. 7.

"We are receiving calls from as far away as Brazil from people asking what possessed a person to torture such an innocent and loving animal as Louis and what can they do to help him," said Steven Tears, director of the Montgomery Humane Society.

The Humane Society named the dog "Louis Vuitton." A dog named Gucci was abused and burned in Mobile in 1994. That case led to Alabama's so-called Gucci Law, which was enacted in 2000 and makes it a felony to torture or kill a dog or cat.

In Louis' case, police have issued a felony arrest warrant for 20-year-old Juan Daniels, the son of Louis' owner. According to Scott Hill, the Humane Society's abuse investigator, Daniels wasn't allowed to borrow his mother's car, so in retribution, he tortured her dog.

Daniels faces a charge of first-degree animal cruelty. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. As of late Thursday afternoon, Daniels had not been taken into custody.

Louis is suffering from severe burns on 60 percent of his body and has multiple blunt-force trauma wounds, said Scott Hill, the Humane Society's abuse investigator.

"We are more concerned with Louis' burns because of the risk of infections from the open wounds and the severe pain he's in from having his foot pads and his claws burned," he said.

Glenda Easterling, who has been volunteering at the shelter for 14 years, said she was horrified to learn what had happened to Louis.

"Do you want to know my true feelings about what should happen to this man or just what you can print in the newspaper?" Easterling said Thursday at the shelter.

"How twisted can a man's mind be to attempt to burn any living creature alive?" she asked.

Tears said the shelter has received more than 50 calls a day about Louis and people have been stopping by the shelter to make donations.

Louis is being treated at an undisclosed location. He likely will need several major operations and could be hospitalized for a year.

"Any donations for Louis will be of great help to us so we can pay for his medical treatment," Tears said.

In 2006, the Montgomery Humane Society investigated about 1,400 cases of animal neglect and cruelty, leading to 300 arrests, Hill said.

Louis will be in pain for months, Hill said, but he's in good spirits, judging from how fast his tail wags every time someone comes to visit him.

"Louis' abuse is one of the most cruel and severe cases that we have seen in Montgomery in a number of years," he said.

"But Louis must be feeling better today because he has gotten into the trash can twice already," he said.

Case Updates

References

• - September 28, 2007
• « AL State Animal Cruelty Map
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