Dogs burned with chemicals or scalding water
Chalmette, LA (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Jul 31, 1999
County: Saint Bernard
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
Dog's burns deliberate, shelter manager says. Someone has been burning stray dogs in the Violet area, either with chemicals or scalding water, possibly to make the dogs mean for fighting and gambling purposes, an official of the St Bernard Parish Animal Shelter said Monday.
The culprit could face felony animal-cruelty charges if caught, said Ceily Trog, shelter manager.
In the past month, six pit bulls and a chow with varying degrees of injuries have been picked up by animal-control officers or left in after-hours surrender cages at the shelter, 115 Agriculture St., off Paris Road, in Chalmette, Trog said.
Trog said she hasn't seen anything like this in her 11 years at the shelter. It's possible someone is simply torturing dogs, she said. Or people could be burning the dogs to make them mean.
"With the first couple of dogs we didn't see a pattern," Trog said. "It could have been an accident. But when we started to see so many, it looked like it wasn't an accident. There has to be someone purposefully doing this.
All of the pit bulls had been burned on thier badks and sides, while the cow was burned on its facae, ears and front legs, Trog said.
Five of the dogs have been destroyed at the shelter, partly because of their injuries and partly because they were deemed unadoptable because of age or temperament, she said.
A female pit bull and the chow, also a female, are recovering and are available fo adoption "to the right home," Trog said. "Both are very sweet." The two are the last of the burned dogs to be brought in, having come to the shelter last week.
Officials are seeking help from the public to catch the dog burners. "We'd like to make people aware that if they see these type of injuries or have information, to report it to the animal shelter," said Trog, who can be reached at 278-1535. The names of callers will be kept confidential, she said.
One of the strays was very vicious and never calmed down. It had to be destroyed. Trog said it's possible the dog's temperament was a result of the burns. "I feel like he was like that because of the torture," she said. References- The Times-Picayune, New Orleans - Aug 31, 1999
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