Miami-Dade County | STOP ANIMAL ABUSE

"OMG...this is beyond sickening, I can't see the dog walking willingly into fire, so she was either burnt or doused in some type of chemical; on purpose. I pray they catch the scum that did this & will keep her in my prayers, in the hopes that all her pups make it & she finds a forever loving home!"

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A pregnant dog that was severely burned is doing much better after being taken in by a local animal rescue group.

“Someone did something unkind to this very sweet dog,” says Donna Casamento with Big Dog Ranch Rescue.

Pregnant dog burnt is carrying puppies

It’s something so unkind, it’s horrific to view. Nina, a terrier mix, has second to third degree burns on her chest, all the way down to her legs.

“It’s been a very very sad situation. We weren’t sure when we first got her how the burns happened,” said Casamento.

But Donna thinks Nina’s burns may have been intentional. And what makes this worse, she’s pregnant.

“Whether she walked into a fire on the ground, like a fire pit or was pushed into a fire pit. Dogs don’t walk into those kind of situations,” she said.”

Now the race is on to save the unborn dogs while Nina recovers. “It’s somewhat difficult for us to tell exactly if the puppies are still alive yet,” Casamento said.

Nina was brought up yesterday from Miami-Dade rescue. Veterinarians here are taking care of her around the clock. “Every couple of hours, she’s getting this applied to her and then several baths throughout the day,” said Donna. “We’re giving her pain medication about every three or four hours at this point.”

The hope is eventually to find her and her babies, a loving home. “In spite what she’s been through, all she wants to do is sit with her head in our lap and get love. This is a great dog,” she said.

Vets say once Nina becomes comfortable, they’ll be able to perform an ultrasound to see if the puppies are alive. They’re asking the community to help with donations for Nina’s care. Find out how you can help at their website, http://www.bdrr.org/ .

Miami-Dade animal rescue is investigating the case.

News Link:-http://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/west-palm-beach/pregnant-dog-burned-alive-gets-help-from-local-animal-rescue-group

Key Largo man convicted of beating Bubba the dog who swiped steak from kitchen

May 28, 2012

Jurors have found a Key Largo man guilty of felony animal cruelty that left an 8-month-old dog injured and fighting for its life.

Prosecutors say Noah Mitchell, 35, savagely beat his Labrador retriever, Bubba, during a barbecue on Oct. 3, 2010, because the animal took a steak from the kitchen counter. The six-member jury took about six hours to deliberate on Wednesday.

Animal cruelty is a third-degree felony in Florida. Third-degree felonies are usually punishable by up to five years in prison, but animal cruelty is among several charges with a maximum punishment of only one year in county jail and four years of probation.

Prosecutor Terri Hunnewell of the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office said Mitchell dropped, kicked, punched and strangled the dog around 9:30 p.m. that night. Mitchell had just moved into his house on Pimlico Lane.

Two men were also in the house when the incident happened — Curt Murphy and Gary Pitterman. Mitchell describes the men as “acquaintances” who helped him with the move. Pitterman was the prosecution’s only eyewitness. Mitchell’s defense attorney, Key West lawyer Donald Barrett, said Pitterman’s testimony was unreliable because he admittedly was drinking heavily that night.

But Hunnewell said the deputy who first interviewed Pitterman that night said the witness did not appear intoxicated. She told jurors that based on Bubba’s injuries, there was no reason they should doubt Pitterman’s version of the incident.

One veterinarian who observed Bubba at a Miami-Dade County animal clinic testified Tuesday that the dog’s injuries were consistent with those that an animal that size would sustain after falling from a two- to three-story building, or after being hit by a car. Bubba had collapsed lungs, a damaged larynx and six fractured ribs.

“The injuries are consistent with what Gary Pitterman said he saw Noah Mitchell do to Bubba,” Hunnewell told jurors during closing arguments Wednesday.