Burned dog may be linked to dogfighting, police say

Police charged 2 teens Monday with dousing pit bull with gasoline, setting it on fire
Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III said Tuesday that a pit bull doused with gasoline and set on fire last month may have been part of a dogfighting operation.

Police charged two teenagers in connection with the crime, but few details have been released as police and prosecutors pore over evidence.

"I understand there are still some concerns about some of the things that [prosecutors] are looking for us to do in continuing with the investigation, but I'm confident that we have the right guys based on all that I've heard," Bealefeld said.

Bealefeld said there were indications that dogfighting "may have been at the core" of the case, but declined to elaborate. There had been previous reports that the dog had bite marks on its body.

Because the suspects were charged as juveniles, their identities are not made public, though television news reports identified the suspects as 17-year-old twin brothers. Their parents appeared on camera outside the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center maintaining the boys' innocence, saying they were turned in for the reward money.

Debra Rahl, programs director for Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARC) -
"We were all very excited to hear that there was an arrest made, and we're just hoping there's justice for Phoenix," Rahl said. "We're still very sad that she did not make it, but she didn't die in vain. It raised awareness of what happens with animals here in the city and across the country."

Police officer Syreeta Teel found the dog engulfed in flames May 27 in the 1600 block of Presbury St. in the Sandtown Winchester neighborhood. Teel, who owns a pit bull and received an honor from the city last week for her actions, threw her sweat shirt over the dog to extinguish the flames.

Phoenix suffered burns on 95 percent of her body and was taken to BARCS, where officials called it one of the most severe cases of animal cruelty they had ever seen.

She was eventually transported to the Metropolitan Veterinary Associates center outside Philadelphia to receive 24-hour care. Caregivers noted that Phoenix remained in good spirits despite her condition, wagging her tail as she was treated.

Extensive burns caused so much swelling around her face and rear quarters that, according to nurse Julie Hirsch, the dog was "barely recognizable," and she began to experience kidney failure. After determining the dog had little chance of a long-term recovery, hospital staff took Phoenix outside to be euthanized, hoping that a little flicker of sunshine would give her some happiness, Hirsch said.

Rahl said the reward money will not be paid until a conviction is secured. Some of the money also went to the Franky Fund, which helps care for homeless pets.