May 28, 2009 12:27 pm US/Eastern
Police Investigate Animal Abuse Case
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Baltimore City Police are investigating a horrific case of animal abuse: a pit bull was set on fire.
CBS
A city police officer describes it as one of the worst things she's ever seen. A pit bull was set on fire in Southwest Baltimore and no one was coming to to the dog's aid.
Mary Bubala has more on this shocking crime.
They've named her Phoenix, for rising out of the ashes. She would have been euthanized immediately, but a special fund at BARCS provided immediate, expensive care to keep her alive.
The one-year-old pit bull should not be alive after someone doused her in gasoline and set her on fire Wednesday afternoon.
"There's not one part spared. I've seen it on the back, on the tail on the ears. I've never seen it on the whole body," said Dr. Bonner.
A Baltimore City officer is credited with saving her.
"It was just cruel," said Officer Syreeta Teel.
Officer Teel and her partner were on their regular patrol in West Baltimore; when they got to Presberry Street, they saw a black cloud of smoke, which was coming from a burning dog.
"She was fully in flames. There were people around, but nobody was doing anything, so I got out of the car, took off my sweater and started hitting her to put the fire out," Officer Teel said.
"You don't put dogs on fire. A dog is like a human being. They have feelings too," said a witness who asked to be identified only as Warren.
"It was just sad, because I've never heard a dog make this sound. This scream that he made, I've never heard before," Teel said.
Phoenix, as she's now called, came to the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter. A nearby veterinarian treated her burns and now she's off to a rescue.
Every person who worked on her says this is the worst case they've seen but Phoenix wants to live.
"The pads of her feet and burnt off and she's standing on them, walking to people and still wagging her tail," said BARCS Executive Director Jennifer Mead-Brause.
Officers got no information from the neighborhood but some tell
Eyewitness News the pit bull has been around before. The vet found puncture wounds, indicating a dog fight.
"We don't understand it. We can't imagine the kind of person who can do something like that," Mead-Brause said.
Police have not charged anyone and are asking any witnesses to give them a call with any information.
Aggravated cruelty to animals is a felony with the punishment being up to three years in prison.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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