HSUS Offers Reward In Bakersfield, Calif. Animal Cruelty Case

For those of you unfamiliar with the story, you can read about it here . If you have a couple of dollars to spare, consider donating it to the local reward fund.

Here's the HSUS announcement:

The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to identification, arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for setting a family dog on fire.

The Case: News reports give the following account: On May 15, someone doused a border collie-chow dog named Murphy with an accelerant, set him on fire and sent him running home. When Murphy arrived in his yard, his head and torso were in flames. His owners quickly doused him with water and rushed him to an emergency veterinarian, but he had to be euthanized four days later.

"This is one of the worst cases of animal cruelty we have heard about in a very long time. Setting a defenseless animal on fire causes horrendous suffering and anyone capable of such a vicious act poses a potential danger to other animals and people," said Curt Ransom, of The HSUS' West Coast regional office. "California law recognizes this connection and this case should be investigated as an act of felonious cruelty."

The Investigators: The Bakersfield Police Department and Animal Control are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call The Bakersfield Police Department at 661-327-7111 or Animal Control at 661-326-3436.

Anyone interested in contributing to a local reward fund can do so at any San Joaquin Bank. Ask for the Murphy Crawford Reward, account number 022242997. For more reward fund information, contact Susan Madigan at accommission5@gmail.com.