Hope the Dog: Set on fire, new video shows Hope recovering in Tampa, Florida

What can I say? The following video is sure to break your heart. I know it did mine. Watching Hope courageously stand there in pain as veterinarians tend to her and listening to her anguished cries is difficult. Not only did I cry, but my beautiful Sheltie Bolt came into the room as if Hope's cries drew him to investigate. Even my cat Mabel picked up her ears and turned her head wanting to see where the cries were coming from.

They came from Hope, a one-year-old Shar-Pei mix who was set on fire by her owner last week. Hope is now recovering at the Blue Pearl Trauma Center where she has most likely, a lifetime of challenges to overcome. By all accounts, Hope shouldn't be alive; but thankfully she is. And many want to know when her owner will be arrested and put behind bars.

Hope's eyes have been burned so it's unclear how her vision will fare and she has burns covering up to 70%

Hope cared for at the Blue Pearl Trauma Center (video grab)

of her body. Still, she has wagged her tail and responded to the gentle touch of love of those caring for her.

The following video will not only touch your compassion but will also anger you. How in the world could anyone set this little, helpless dog on fire?

Animals are so loyal to us; and if they aren't there tends to be a human at fault. My dog Bolt is the most amazing, loyal and loving dog to our family. I can't get up and leave the room without Bolt following close behind. When I sit down on the sofa, he is right behind me, nestling against me and rests his head on my lap. If something happened to one of my children, I have no doubt that Bolt would be at their side, doing whatever he could to alert us, and even help them.

He is a loving, trusted member of our family. He protects us, guards us and loves us unconditionally. I look at Bolt and can't imagine him experiencing pain like Hope is going through.

And for what? Why would someone do this?

Why are people so cruel to animals?

The Bible warns us against people like this.

Please be warned, this video will touch your heart.

 

Lux the Cat Latest News, Twitter updates (photos, videos)

Have you heard of Lux the Cat? Lux weighs 22 pounds (new, updated reports say he weighs 13 pounds) and caused an Internet sensation after he turned against his Oregon family and held them hostage, forcing the family to seek shelter in their home and call 911 for help.

Lux the Cat: Multnomah County Animal Shelter

Now, the family is seeking the best plan for themselves and Lux. He was staying at Oregon's Multnomah County Animal Shelter but has since returned home. It also appears that Jackson Galaxy of "My Cat From Hell" fame will travel to Oregon to assist with Lux.

  Tweets about "Lux the cat" Lux the Cat in the News (VIDEOS)

 Lux the Cat 911 Call 

Videos: Dog tortured, set on fire in Florida by owner

Warning! The following video contains graphic photos that are disturbing.

The Hardee Animal Recue Team (HART) are tending the needs of a 1-year-old dog named Hope who was allegedly set on fire by her owner. HART states that Hope was chained when set on fire and some kids saw the dog and called attention to the incident.

The case is under investigation and as of yet, no charges have been filed against the owner.

Hope: Allegedly set on fire by owner

You may see a video report below.




WFLA News Channel 8

Save Mickey update: Nancy Grace video, transcript Is Mickey the PitBull an evil dog?

Nancy Grace has no love for Mickey the Pit Bull and called the dog a "devil dog" and the entire breed of Pit Bulls as "people eaters."

Check out the video below and read the transcript. What do you think of Nancy Grace's comments regarding Mickey the Pit Bull and little Kevin Vicente?

Nancy Grace transcript regarding Mickey the Pit Bull

Aired March 18, 2014 - 20:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

When we come back, nearly 100,000 people rally to save an evil pitbull, Mickey, after the brute viciously mauls a four-year-old little boy nearly to death. Why? Supporters say because the tiny child, quote, "stole his bone." 

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Now to Phoenix. Nearly 100,000 people rally to save an evil pitbull after the brute viciously mauls a four-year-old little boy nearly to death. Why? Supporters say because the tiny child, quote, stole the dog`s bone. They`re worried about a stolen bone when a little boy is nearly dead after having his face and body ripped to shreds by a pitbull? 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five-year-old Mickey, a pitbull terrier, went right for the four-year-old`s child`s face. Some have blamed the child. Witnesses say four-year-old Kevin Decente (ph) went to grab one of the dog`s bones. People raising money and signing petitions to help save the dog. 

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are trying to make excuses saying it was Kevin`s fault or the babysitter`s fault. Everything but the dog.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Gregg Paul, news director, 960 the Patriot. Nearly 100,000 people are supporting the dog, an evil pitbull that nearly killed a four- year-old little boy? I don`t understand, Greg. 

GREGG PAUL, NEWS DIRECTOR, 960 THE PATRIOT: Well, you know, it`s not that they support the dog or that they are going against the little boy. What they`re saying is that this dog was acting out of instinct and possibly that they blame the people, the adults who were around the boy in the backyard, that they should have been watching the boy better. So that`s who they sort of blame. It`s not so much that they`re blaming the boy, but a lot of people are standing behind this dog, saying it should not be euthanized and that they are saying that maybe the dog should go to special training or possibly be given to a special place where he can maybe then be adopted out to a family that can take care of this dog. 

GRACE: Really? Well, if he acts like a wild animal, then maybe he should be with other wild animals and not with little children like this four-year-old child. Dr. Salvatore Lettieri is with me, a Mayo Clinic physician serving as chief of plastic surgery at Maricopa Medical Center, who actually performed the surgery on the little four-year-old child, Kevin Vicente. And let me warn everybody, these photos are graphic. This pitbull nearly mauled this child to death. Dr. Latteri, thank you so much for being with us. How extensive was the surgery on little Kevin? 

LETTIERI: Well, let me start first off by saying, there are two parts to what you`ll notice, the superficial part where the skin was damaged, but the deeper structures in the right side of his face were extensively damaged, ranging from around the eye to the upper cheek bone to upper jaw bone to the lower jawbone, the mandible. 

GRACE: How much future surgery will the little boy require, Doctor? 

LETTIERI: Well, probably over the course of the next one to two years, we`ll work with him, try to regain the ability to open and close his eye on the right side, and also to redo the tear duct drainage system. The bone structures that we repaired, which is the mandible, the lower jaw and the eye socket, those we fixed at the time of his original surgery, which by the way, was five and a half to six hours. 

GRACE: Dr. Salvatore Lettieri, Mayo Clinic physician, joining us. Every time I look at the picture of this little boy sitting in that hospital bed, looking up, I think of one of my children sitting there with their face ripped to shreds. 

Dr. Patricia Saunders, clinical psychologist. How do we get -- where is Patricia? How did we get so bassackwards that people are actually defending the dog? I mean, Patricia, look at the child. I mean, if the dog instincts took over, then maybe the dog`s instincts could be better suited to be out in the wild and not around little children. 

SAUNDERS: I disagree with you on that. I hold the owners responsible, even though they may have been in compliance with the law about containing the dog. It isn`t an evil dog. It`s an evil act by instinct. Because the boy is only four years old -- 

GRACE: It`s a devil dog. I don`t even know what you`re saying. 

SAUNDERS: A devil dog? 

GRACE: He ripped a child`s face practically off. Yes, devil dog, yes. 

SAUNDERS: As in Satan? 

GRACE: As in take a look at this picture. And I know, I`ve seen your husband with about ten dogs at the end of a leash. I don`t know why I thought you might agree with me. 

SAUNDERS: I do. 

GRACE: Look at this picture, Patricia, look. I`m glad to hear that. Not that picture, Liz. That picture! 

With me right now, Richards Rosenthal, general counsel for the Lexis Project (ph) who hired a lawyer to save Mickey. Richard Rosenthal joining me from Q Gardens (ph), New York. Richard, the dog nearly ate the little boy`s face off. It seems to me like the little boy is the one that needs to be saved, not the dog. 

RICHARD ROSENTHAL, ATTORNEY: Not necessarily. First of all, if we want to place blame, let`s place it on the adult. The best comment on this whole thing was the doctors when the boy was first brought in who said the dog was only doing what dogs do, and the little boy was doing what little boys do. The problem here is that the baby-sitter was not doing what responsible adults do. 

GRACE: I`ve got to disagree with you, Richard Rosenthal, because dogs that are allowed to be around people -- peole include children.

ROSENTHAL: The dog wasn`t allowed to be around people. The child went into the dog`s area. You know, if you`re going to trespass, if you`re going to go into the dog`s area -- 

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: Where was the dog? Where was the dog? Where was he, Richard? 

ROSENTHAL: He was in his own yard unchained. 

GRACE: Dr. Morrone, this child had his face ripped off. He`s going to have surgery probably the rest of his life, Dr. Morrone. 

MORRONE: Surgery is not a one-time event. As this child grows, he`ll need further reconstructive plastic surgery on superficial and deep structures to accommodate his growth. So it is an ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction from this terrible event. 

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Very quickly, Justin Freiman, how long was the chain that the devil dog was on? 

FREIMAN: This evil dog was on an 18-foot chain. 

GRACE: Whoa. I thought you were going to say 8. Richard Rosenthal, he was on an 18-foot chain? Let`s see the back of that year. That`s practically the whole yard. How do I know the little kid wasn`t just walking down that driveway right there? 

ROSENTHAL: Because the pictures show that he wasn`t. That he fully came into the other yard. The bigger problem is how come you don`t blame the humans who are supposed to know better, unless you think that the dog is smarter than the humans? 

GRACE: No. Actually, Dr. Patricia Saunders, I blame not only the humans but I blame the dog. I think the dog, a pitbull, is inherently dangerous. I`ve covered so many stories where they eat people. That`s why I don`t understand why this dog is out in a backyard on a chain without a fence. I don`t understand that. 

SAUNDERS: That`s why all of us or most of us are saying we blame the people, because you buy a dog like this, you know they`re aggressive, they are territorial. You darn well better have them trained. I wouldn`t touch a dog like this unless I trained them. Like I do with my own.

GRACE: Let`s stop and remember American hero, Army specialist, Julian Berisford, 25, Benwood, West Virginia. Bronze Star, Purple Heart, loved West Virginia University sports, fishing and the Beatles. Parents, Shelly and Jewel. Widow Gina, daughter Mia. Julian Berisford, American hero. Drew up next, everyone. I`m see you tomorrow night 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night. 

END 

Latest pet news: Charisse Van Horn on Examiner

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