AR-News: (OK - US)Six puppies are blown apart by fireworks; mother dog is traumatized

[Snugglezzz at aol.com]

Fireworks used to abuse dogs 
By ROBERT EVATT World Staff Writer 
6/29/2004 


An animal suffers burns, and six puppies are blown apart. 

Employees and volunteers at the Tulsa Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals see a wide range of animal abuses on a daily basis. 



But what they found Monday was uncommonly shocking. 

"In 20 years of veterinary practice, I haven't seen fireworks used on dogs," said Dr. Connie Wright, a veterinarian for the Tulsa SPCA. 

A woman in Turley brought the SPCA two dogs that apparently had been attacked with fireworks. One of them, a 4-1/2-month-old lab mix, had severe burns on her hindquarters and her whiskers were burned off. 

The other dog, a heeler mix, was not physically hurt but was traumatized -- all six of her puppies had been blown apart by firecrackers. 

"She was found sitting with them, and she was encouraging them to get up," said Laurie Mayes, executive director of the Tulsa SPCA. 

Based on the condition of the wound on the lab mix, which the SPCA has named Melody, the attacks happened Sunday night. 

Witness statements in a police report say a group of teenage boys carrying lighter fluid and Roman candles had been seen shooting fireworks in the neighborhood of Peoria Avenue and 62nd Street North earlier that night. Shortly afterward, the witness heard a puppy yelp. 

The next day, the group of dogs was found by a resident. Mayes said the dogs were strays that residents had been feeding. 

Wright said Melody apparently was used as a moving target. "They shot something at her that caught her on fire," Wright said. 

The puppies were too young to get away. 

"It appears someone put firecrackers in their mouths," Mayes said. 

Both surviving dogs were taken to the SPCA for treatment. The mother dog, named Amaya by the SPCA, needs at least two weeks to recover from the loss of her puppies, Wright said. 

"When you take her for a walk, she tries to take you to the puppies," she said. 

Melody is expected to make a full recovery, although she will likely bear scars from her ordeal. Currently, she's receiving fluids intravenously. Her wound will be stitched within a few days, and Wright said she hopes Melody will be completely healed by her 6-month birthday. 

In the meantime, officers from the Tulsa Police Department's Animal Control Division are working to catch those responsible. After a report was made to the police, an animal control investigator was dispatched to the area, said Carl Willis, the division's lead investigator. 

Mayes said the July Fourth holiday is one of the worst times of the year for animal abuses. Often, the SPCA will treat animals that have been shot. 

"People think they can get away with it because people think the shots are fireworks," Mayes said. 

So far, the SPCA hasn't taken any reports of shot animals this summer. 

Once they recover, Melody and Amaya will be available for adoption. For information on adopting them or other abused animals, contact the Tulsa SPCA at 428-7722.