A dog lover and member of The Humane Society of the United States is offering an additional $12,500 reward for information leading to identification, arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for setting a dog named Murphy on fire in Bakersfield. His generous donation raises the reward offered by The HSUS to $15,000.
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.
"We can only hope that this generous donation will further help smoke out the perpetrator of this despicable crime against a loving, innocent and defenseless animal," said Curt Ransom, of The HSUS' West Coast regional office. "Murphy did not need to suffer as he did. We look forward to seeing justice served in this heartbreaking case."
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.
Animal Cruelty:
The connection between animal cruelty and human violence is well documented. The HSUS First Strike Campaign® raises public awareness and educates communities about this connection while providing a variety of resources to law enforcement agencies, social work professionals, educators, legislators and families. The HSUS offers rewards in animal cruelty cases across the country and works to strengthen laws against animal cruelty. Visit humanesociety.org/firststrike.
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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization — backed by 10.5 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty — On the web at humanesociety.org.
