http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/23998.htm

DOG SURVIVES FIRE HORROR

By MARK BULLIET and LUKAS I. ALPERT
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Ailing pup set ablaze by sicko.
Photo: Paul Martinka

May 12, 2005 -- A "sweet as pudding" pup was badly burned through a combination of naivete and cruelty when his owner tried to treat the dog's mange with motor oil — and a coldhearted neighbor tossed a match on his back, animal-rescue officials said yesterday.
Snoop, a 6-month-old pit-bull mix, was expected to live, but had his ears singed and suffered severe burns across his back, said Ruth Allen, manager of the city's Animal Care and Control shelter in Brooklyn, where the dog is recovering.

"He's as sweet as pudding — an excellent personality despite the injuries," she said.

No one has been arrested, and investigators are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the culprit who threw the match. Call the ACC's central office at (212) 788-4000.

The combustible mix of ignorance and savagery began when Snoop's owner, Tiffany Faulk, 18, tried to treat her puppy's skin disease with flammable oil because her family couldn't afford the $200 to have him treated by a veterinarian.

"Everybody told me about this home-remedy-type thing," Faulk said.

At around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Faulk said she returned with the dog to her building at the Cypress Hills Houses in East New York. As they walked in, Snoop bounded up the steps and someone viciously tossed a lit match on him, setting him ablaze.

"I do think it was on purpose. Everybody knows I was treating him with oil for his skin. Everybody knew he was flammable," Faulk said.




Can't afford the treatment...can't afford a dog!