For months, concerned North Carolina citizens and animal lovers across the nation have been following the saga of Susie, a puppy found in a Greensboro park with burns on 60 percent of her body. An employee at the shelter where animal control brought the dog said she had severe burns over her back, belly, and head, plus some broken bones, and wounds that were infected with maggots, reports the WFMY News in Greensboro.
At first no one knew who had set the 3-month-old pup on fire, but a Crimestoppers tip led to the arrest of Lashawn Demaro Whitehead, 20.
Over the course of Susie's recovery, volunteers at the Guilford Animal Shelter used Twitter to keep her growing community of fans up to date on her progress. Hundreds of people came forward to try to adopt her, but the shelter wanted to make absolutely sure that the dog, who has obviously already been through a lot, would go to just the right home.
Now, finally, Susie has a new family. According to WFMY News, she has been adopted by Donna Lawrence, owner of Greensboro's Kutting Edge Hair Salon. Lawrence, who was attacked by a pit bull last year, said, "I think my story compared to her story, being attacked by a human. We both had to overcome our fears so that kind of attracted me to her."
"She's doing good, she is happy, she's energetic, she loves being in my back yard, she plays with my other dog, my cat -- so she's doing great," Lawrence said. She brings Susie to work with her at the salon, in part to socialize the dog with people. As she explained, "I want to use her for a therapy dog eventually to help with burn victims or cancer."
Marsha Williams, the owner of Guilford Animal Shelter, told Paw Nation that many people had volunteered to take Susie after reading about her story, but that their goal was to find someone who really wanted her for who she was. She went on to say, "We talk to Donna [Susie's new owner] almost every day. We had to send over a trainer to teach Donna how to interact with Susie so that she would respect Donna as leader in the house. When Susie decided it was her house she wanted to be dominant. You can't feel sorry for her and baby her. You have to treat her like any other dog."
Susie's new owner and the shelter plan to work together to use Susie as an advocate for animal cruelty prevention and education programs, and as a therapy dog.
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I really wish I could get my hands on that young man. People who hurt animals are really sick in the head.
How horrible. I think setting this piece of s**t excuse of a human being on fire and torturing him would be too good for him. Thank God that sweet puppy has a good home. Things like this just make me cry. Our world is so full of evil.
i agree i would like to cause the same harm he did to that dog and see how he likes it
Like the football star, Michael Vick, who is being paid millions by the Philadelphia Eagles, for playing football, and burned several dogs to death in addition to a number of horrible events. I simply cannot forgive something like that. It evades any sensible response.
I hate reading stories like this because it reminds me that horrible stuff like this happens. I am glad that the dog has found a new home, I think it's the best revenge too. The previous owner tried to kill her in a very cruel way and she survived! She is happy and in a new home and that POS is still living with his demons.
NO,NO,NO,NO,YOU DONT REALLY WANT TO TOUCH THE SCUMBAG !!!!!!!!! THIS IS WHAT WE DO,WE DO THE EXACT SAME THING TO HIM THAT HE DID TO THAT DOG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! POETIC JUSTICE ........................................
how sick...he should be burned and beatup himself......how could you hurt any animal...what a bastard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hope you die in hell..............
I have worked in Stat prison for quite a while. It get no better for someone like this that it does a child molester. If this gets around, his but is gonna pay.
Your way too kind referring to him as a "young man". In my opinion he's lower than slime!
It makes me sick that someone can do this to a living creature,
especially a cute little puppy. He should be hung by his manhood!
hey brian i am with you .this piece of crapwho set this animal on fire should have the same done to him right after we show him how to respect animals he gets cooked .enough of treating animal abusers like poor kids after they get tired of animals they will move to kids .great post man!!!!!!!!!!!
you people are rediculous! you would kill somebody because they abused an animal? that my friend would be worse..... i just have to make that clear.
people are more important then animals. i can't believe that i have to explain that.
i do not condone his actions but, he doesnt deserve to die, or be burned, or shot.
I would not worry about this evil person being punished while on earth for what he did to one of Gods innocent creations. When he dies he has to face his creator and atone for his actions on earth, his soul will spend eternity in hell in fire which is very fitting punishment.
What is going to happen to the punk that did this? How about setting him on fire and busting up some ribs? Animals have no rights.If it where a human that was left in this condition the punk would be sentenced...like Vick.. he will get spanked and sent on his way...
You are absolutely right, Brian...doesn't it just make you sick that someone could hurt an animal??? Especially such a sweet, innocent dog. That "young thug" deserves the same done to him.
Here's the deal; you kidnap this filthy f**k and put a scuba tank on him, wrap him with a weighted down "blanket" of chain link fence and dump him overboard. This gives him a little bit of time on the bottom to think about what he did that landed him there-in between bouts of abject terror.
unfortunately this country need to first get our lawmakers to change the laws that only look at pets as property. Look at the shows on animal planet these people get a 750 dollar fine for killing or abusing animals IF they are caught. Almost never do you see them do serious jail time. look at this past fall in pennsylvania a woman had 600+ counts of animal cruelty she had over 400 cats on her property plus buried thousands of ones she let die and she ended up with minor felony BS charge for 12. and 12 misdemenor charges she had to close what she called a shelter and MAY do jail time . If you abuse a pet its the same as abusing a child or elder both require care and compassion.. It is proven animal cruelty offenders usually leads to serial killers.. Lets start telling our state senators we want tougher laws for these crimes and dont plead them out. And maybe some will think first...
Someone ought to break that guy's jaw and set him on fire! Then he should be given the electric chair, as anybody else who would so crually hurt an innocent animal!
The best punishment for "Lashan" would be to get the same treatment he gave an innocent animal .. I agree He is lucky I am not around - he woul dnot like what I would do to him. What a sorry example for a human being he is ..
To the people who say do the same to him as he did to the dog, just think it may have already been done to him as a child. Unfortunatley many inhumane things also happen to children it is to bad. I wish as many people that were willing to take in the dog were willing to take in these harmed children, but usually the ones who want to take them in are also abusers because these children are easy to abuse. It is unfortunate that this is done to humans and animals alike.