PETA is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction on cruelty charges of the person(s) responsible for burning an elderly dog to death on the morning of March 5.
According to PETA, the 16-year-old pit bull–mastiff mix, Duke, was reportedly asleep in his backyard near S. 27th Avenue and W. Van Buren Street when the assailant(s) poured gasoline on him and set him on fire. Due to the severity of his injuries, Duke was euthanized.
With funds reportedly raised by other groups, including Silent Witness, an Arizona-based program that shares information about unsolved felony cases, the total reward offered in this case is now up to $9,000.
No leads or suspects have been identified, so PETA is asking for the public’s help.
“The agony and terror that Duke must have endured as he was burned alive in his backyard are unimaginable,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA asks anyone with information to come forward immediately before the individual responsible hurts or kills someone else.”
Anyone with information related to the case should call Silent Witness at 480-948-6377 (480-WITNESS) for English or 480-837-8446 (480-TESTIGO) for Spanish or submit a tip online at silentwitness.org.