JUSTICE FOR SAMMIE..............& ALL PETS
A FAMILY dog has been doused in petrol and set alight in a sadistic attack in Adelaide's western suburbs.
West Croydon resident Alice McDonnell came home to find her Staffordshire bull terrier, Sammie, badly burned and her backyard reeking of petrol.
"I could smell the burning and see the top of her back was singed," Ms McDonnell said.
"Sammie was brown all over and the skin around her ears was coming off.
"I was freaking out, I was shaking. It's just horrible to think someone could do that."
Torrens Rd Veterinary Clinic said Sammie had suffered burns to 40 per cent of her body, including third-degree burns to a leg and both ears.
RSPCA spokeswoman Aimee McKay said the offender faced charges of animal cruelty with a penalty of either a $50,000 fine or up to four years' jail.
"When it's such a deliberate act and someone is obviously trying to harm an animal, it's of great concern," she said.
Forty people have been convicted in South Australia over the past year for animal cruelty and neglect.
Mr Rudd said calls he made to police demanding an investigation had been refused.
Ms McDonnell said she now feared a repeat attack and was concerned for the safety of the couple's 18-month-old child.
"There's someone out there in our neighbourhood with the heart to light up a dog," she said. "We've got a child imagine what else they could do."
The RSPCA is investigating the attack, which occurred yesterday at a home in West Croydon, in Adelaide's north-western suburbs.
It is understood the offender would have had to enter the yard and befriend another dog belonging to Ms McDonnell to reach Sammie, who was chained up.
"She had no way of getting away," Ms McDonnell told ABC Radio.
RSPCA spokeswoman Aimee McKay said investigators needed the public's help to track down the offender.
"We're asking the public for information because unfortunately we don't have a lot to go by," she said. "There is never any excuse to do something so horrific."
SAMMIE the staffie is expected to lose both ears due to horrific burns suffered when she was covered in petrol and set on fire last week.
"She probably going to lose both her ears," Ms McDonnell said.
"When you look at them they're very badly damaged and we've been told later on they may have to go.
"Under her arm is also still weeping a lot."
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