Dog doused with lighter fluid, set on fire
Fairhope, AL (US)Incident Date: Monday, Sep 3, 2007
County: Baldwin
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: 17 year old male
A young dog died earlier this week in Fairhope after being doused with lighter fluid and set on fire, a crime a police detective called torture. The dog, a pug, appeared to be about 2 years old.
Fairhope police arrested a 17-year-old boy and charged him with felony cruelty to a dog. Detective David Martinez declined to identify the boy because of his age and juvenile status.
"Cruelty to a dog can be a misdemeanor or a felony, according to the statute," Martinez said. "He's charged with the felony. I felt like it was torture."
The dog was owned by a neighbor, Martinez said, but efforts to locate him failed.
The burning occurred Monday in the area of Young Street and Fairland Avenue, Martinez said. The investigation quickly led to the 17-year-old, who confessed to the crime, was booked into the City Jail and later released to his father, according to Martinez.
The young pug was treated by Fairhope veterinarian James Corte, who said the "real sweet dog" suffered second- and third-degree burns on its back, especially in the shoulder region, and lighter burns in the groin area. The dog stood only about 8 inches tall, Corte said.
"Thank God, you just don't see a lot of abuse like this," Corte said Friday. "This is probably the worst case of blatant animal abuse -- malicious like this -- that I've ever seen, although I've only been in practice nine years."
Corte said the dog arrived at his office Tuesday and appeared to improve at first, only to die early Wednesday.
Intentionally torturing a dog or cat is a Class C felony and punishable by a $5,000 fine and 10-year prison sentence. If convicted, the person may also be liable for the animal's medical care, according to the Stray Pet Advocacy's online entry regarding Alabama's cruelty laws. References« AL State Animal Cruelty Map
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