Demand Justice for Burned Puppy
By Billie HassimTarget: Honorable City Court Judge Debra Givens
Goal: To charge two teenagers with the maximum sentence allowed for aggravated animal abuse
Recently, two teenagers from Buffalo, New York admitted to setting a 16-week-old puppy on fire. There was no clear motive given as to why these two decided to commit such a horrific act against a helpless animal. After facing a judge, these teenagers may face between 16 months and four years in prison.
The two teenagers responsible for this heinous crime are Diondre Brown and Adell Zeigler. They admitted to holding the defenseless puppy down while they doused him with lighter fluid. Shortly after, they set the puppy on fire and left him on the street to die. After some time, a concerned passerby spotted the puppy and called the police; the puppy was still on fire when the passerby saw him.
Fortunately, the puppy survived this unwarranted attack. He has been named “Phoenix” and is slowly improving after receiving care at Buffalo Small Animal Hospital. Although Phoenix is improving, he is still fighting the effects of the cruelty committed against him. He has extensive burns all over his body and is in need of several skin grafts. Veterinarians have said that large portions of his ears had to be amputated due to severe burns. Phoenix is also at risk of losing one of his hind legs as a result of his injuries.
Proper action needs to be taken against these teens. They willingly and knowingly chose to abuse a helpless and defenseless puppy and should face adequate consequences. They should be punished with the maximum sentence allowed for their actions; 16 months is nowhere near enough to sufficiently punish them for their crime. Anything less than the maximum sentence allowed is just a slap on the wrist.
Crimes of animal cruelty like this should not be taken lightly. These teenagers could repeat the crime or possibly do worse because not enough emphasis was placed on the gravity of the crime. Sign the petition below to urge Honorable City Court Judge Debra Givens to give these teens the maximum sentence allowed for their horrendous crime against Phoenix.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Honorable City Court Judge Debra Givens,
Please help in seeking justice for a puppy named Phoenix. Phoenix recently suffered a heinous crime at the hands of Diondre Brown and Adell Zeigler. They doused him with lighter fluid, set him on fire, and left him on the street to die. Action needs to be taken to ensure that these teens are given a punishment that fits their crime.
I am urging you to give them the maximum sentence allowed for aggravated animal abuse. Cases of animal abuse like this cannot be taken lightly. If they are merely given a slap on the wrist, they are more than likely to repeat their crime; they might even do far worse if given the opportunity. Please take action to ensure that these criminals do not get away with insufficient punishment for their crime against Phoenix.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Derek Gee via buffalonews.com
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41 Comments
The two boys should also be responsible for paying for medical services for Phoenix
Are you sure they were boys? Those look like girls names to me (Adele & Diondre.
I live in Buffalo, NY & it was just revealed today that both also admitted to abusing Phoenix for weeks before starting him on fire by punching, kicking & throwing him into the wall. This puppy was 16 weeks old when they set him on fire…they had been abusing him for several weeks before that. There are no words to describe the disgusting individuals these 2 are, they need the maximum & then some. We have no use for them in our society.
HELLO MICHELLE K.YOU ECHO MY FEELINGS.. THESE SCUM OF THE EARTH INDIVIDUALS ARE VERY OBVIOUSLY SICK IN THE HEAD… WHAT AGE WERE THEY ? EVEN IF LOCKED UP FOR YEARS THEN WILL THEY BE LET OUT TO COMMIT THIS & AN EVEN WORSE CRIME IN THE FUTURE… THIS EVIL WICKED TREATMENT TO ANY INNOCENT ANIMAL ANYWHERE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE… POOR LITTLE BABY I HOPE HE FULLY RECOVERS & GOES TO A LOVING HOME IN THE FUTURE.
i agree and these abusers generally go on to abuse children but this also was a baby whatever species capital punishment before they do more which generally they do
I agree. It’s too bad they were ever born to begin with and equally bad that they can’t be kept out of circulation for the rest of their sorry lives. They are worthless.
These teens must be severely disturbed emotionally and if they can torture a puppy, they can easily move onto hurting children. They must be checked for mental health because I believe that they are very sick in the head. And if they are declared mentally fit and sane, then they must be charged with animal abuse and cruelty and whatever charges are applicable. In the meantime, they must be detained to prevent other creatures from being tortured by them.
Amen.!! God told us to..HATE..the Sin, NOT the Sinner(s)!! However, He did mention many things on “Raising Children”, too.!! Even a child of 2yrs.old, knows NOT to “Bite”! What they truly need, IS a “Trip” to..Out Behind the Barn”! I’ll..loan..my Parents Ol’ Razor-Strap?? It might jus’ be the item needed to achieve..Getting Their Attention. It c-a-n DO that..in a heart-beat, too.! Or, better yet..let “Me” have the honor of the visit..out behind the barn, please? I c-a-n put the..FEAR of GOD..in them.!! My Mom, use to call it, by saying,”Me & you are fixin’ to have a..Come to Jesus..meeting.!!” I’d still rather face the wrath of God, than her. She LOVED us, but we KNEW we had to “mind” her, too. Amen! …Bubbles Wilhite…
It’s depression to have to read these horrendous stories about individuals who have no respect for living beings. It’s more worrisome that they are teens, if they are capable of doing this to a helpless animal what else are they capable of if allowed to be part of society without severe punishment. I hope with everything in me that the judge on this case throws the book at them too and set an example that this behavior is not tolerated. It’s disgusting to think people with this mentality are out there.
I can’t believe what I just read! This poor 16 week old puppy still has a chance at life yes! But will be scarred physically and emotionally for the rest of his life! How could someone be so cruel. What led 2 teenage boys to act so cruel upon a helpless PUPPY!
I really hope something is done and justice is brought! There are far too many people in this world who think this ok to do and don’t get caught or punished for it! Well I think that time needs to come to an end and people should face the consequences and never allowed to be around animals again!
This just sickens me!!!
This is an heinous crime that has been committed by these individuals. Just because animals do not have the capability to think advanced thoughts like us humans does not mean that they don’t feel. Just imagine what this poor dog felt while burning, and how, emotionally, the poor small dog must feel now. If it were human, not only would these guys be criminally charged, but the victim would also be able to successfully sue these criminals for emotional distress in addition to the physical injuries! These young hoodlums must pay!!!
VILE EVIL WICKED PEOPLE… GIVE THEM THE VERY MAXIMUM SENTENCES.. THIS TREATMENT TO DOGS CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE ANYWHERE.
We must not rest until this unspeakable behavior is brought to justice! Please see to it that these 2 get the maximum penalty they can get, and help insure this can never happen again without certain and very severe and painful and shameful consequences. This is the only way these kind of people will learn that this is just not acceptable here.
A puppy for god’s sakes! Heartless SOB’s!! What did this dog do to deserve this treatment? These 2 are teenagers, where were their parents, who owns the dog, surely it was not these teenagers? Why did they not set each other on fire? I hope this beautiful little dog goes to a fabulous home with lots of love. This is the only thing that will make up for what was done unfortunately, because no time in prison or anything else will make up for this.
Laureen,
You asked “what did this dog do to deserve this treatment?” Next time, please think about how that sounds before you ask a question like that. What “could” have a puppy done to “deserve” this treatment, nothing, not a damned thing, there’s nothing he could have done to “deserve” that kind of treatment! Let’s all remember that a dog is a dog is a dog, it’s going to do what it’s instincts tell it to do or what he’s been trained to do. It’s not the puppy’s fault!
Basta del mal trato hacia los animalitos ,nadie les enseño a quererlos? ,que son seres inocentes ,que lo único que dan es AMOR …QUE SE HAGA JUSTICIA YA….Sigo respitiendo…LA PEOR RAZA QUE HAY ES LA HUMANA ..
I am absolutely disgusted at the horrendous crime committed by these two teenagers. What possesses ‘HUMANS’ to first of all think to do such an act and secondly to actually go through with it. What do their parents think? I am really saddened at the way in which this world is headed. More and more we see animals being mistreated, tortured and murdered. If anything animals win out over humans any day. Lock the teenagers up and force them as part of their retribution to care for animals in a refuge centre.
In the eyes of decent, caring people this act is unforgivable and they must be given the MAXIMUM PENALTY and forced into proper therapy.In my eyes this is no different if the victim were a small child. This is what society has to understand. Lucky are the animals who are totally loved and cared for but in our world there are billions of animals who are abused, exploited and mistreated on a daily basis. The beautiful sentient beings who are pets, animals bred for food in the factory farming industry, the ones in zoos, dolphinariums, horse racing, greyhound racing, bullfighting, rodeos (all for public entertainment), sharks who are definned, whales and dolphins killed for food, unnecessary animal testing which is heinous and the list goes on and on. What kind of world are we living in? Small children must be taught compassion and respect for all sentient beings.
I’m afraid these two are almost certainly sociopaths with no conscience for what they have done. That is the only way you could perpetrate such cruelty on an utterly defenselessness puppy. It may well be that, unstopped, they go on to commit more atrocities against animals and then against humans too. They are cowards so will pick on the very young or old. They feel me with disgust
This is the direct result of the violence kids are exposed to constantly these days, in video “games” , movies, and some music!!! A couple of generations have been literally poisoned by these for-profit, immoral, shameless purveyors of violent images to children!! These people are scum, low-life, child abusing, dangers to society, and should be treated as such!! No matter how rich or famous they are!!
I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND ANIMAL CRUELTY, NOR WILL I TOLERATE IT!
That terrible and cruel act has NO NAME; if there is not a STRONG penalty for it, youngsters will be criminals tomorrow.
They have to respond for their acts and this act is a crime.
Animals feel and suffer as well as humans.
Let us respect them as they deserve.
These scum of beings should be put to work in an animal shelter where hopefully they will find compassion and empathy in their hearts for all life. How sad, this poor puppy suffered abuse weeks before being set on fire. Where were the parents? Obviously they came from a disfunctional home but to abuse a sweet innocent little puppy like this breaks my heart. I hope the judge gives them the maximum and they should pay for the vet costs. They also need to have their mental health checked as obviously there is something wrong with them.
Put them to work around animals……not a chance…..throw them under the jail. I would not let either of them within a thousand miles of my animals and if I had my way the punishment would be what the crime is. The only way to stop this abuse, killing, torturing and maiming of animals is to make strong examples of these two and others that think they are so smart, so strong and pick on innocents. They are evil, not sick, they are satans minons and showed it blatantly. They have no feelings, compassion, no morals. It is time to stop blaming all the evil on dysfunctional excuses. I know a ton of people that have dysfunctional familes, but they do not abuse, torture, maime or kill innocents. They look to the future and work to better themselves, not look at the past and use it as an excuse to hurt innocents.
ESAS ESCORIAS PUTREFACTAS DEBEN ESTAR BAJO TIERRA, SIN IMPORTAR LA EDAD QUE TENGAN, YA QUE LA UNICA MANERA QUE SON UTILES ES COMO ABONO!!
Okay, this has happened and it is horrible, I agree. What about the ones we don’t know about? If this puppy had not been found how would we even know it happened? So that begs the question, Why isn’t the Media all over this? Not for the hype for the story itself, but to educate the American public that this is going on and people need to start parenting their children a whole hell of a lot more!!
Secondly, if the Judge doesn’t give them the max sentence, how can he justify his reason for not doing so? Is that the kind of person we would want on the bench? What message would that send to others that might do a similar act? Much to think about, much to act upon if the max sentence isn’t handed down!!!!
I agree that the teenagers’ crime was more than serious enough for them to lose their freedom, but I am less interested in a heavy punishment which could give society two permanently hardened criminals, than in the possibility that they are young enough for therapy and rehabilitation to work. Many adults who later contributed to society looked back on a misspent youth. It’s also possible that they are products of abuse themselves.
To those who wouldn’t waste money on rehab, would you rather deal with full-fledged career criminals who learned their trade in prison?
Um, I think they are already hardened enough. They burned a puppy alive and tortured it. I wouldn’t call that a misspent youth, I call it a serial killer in the making.
I say burn them.
They are evil. It’s scary and worrying that they are just teens. Humans and animals are not safe with them around. Yes, burn them.
I see this as an act of pure evil and they must be given the MAXIMUM PENALTY. They must also be given therapy or it will have no effect. Now think about this, there are animals in this world who are lucky enough to be totally loved and cared for, but there are literally billions more whether pets or animals who are bred for food in the horrific factory farming industry and more animals who are totally exploited for public entertainment in zoos, dolphinariums, horse racing, bull fighting, rodeos and the list goes on and on. What kind of world are we living in? It’s disgraceful. Small children must be taught to have compassion and respect for all sentient beings.
não podemos calar diante de tamanha barbárie contra um animalzinho indefeso. Eles devem ser rigorosamente punidos pois do contrário continuarão praticando porque sabem que não serão castigados
It’s ANIMAL on animal crime. The men are heartless, useless members of society. Their punishment should be the same as they inflicted on this poor puppy. They should be kicked, tortured, and then burned alive. But not burned to death because that would be easy; they should have parts of their ears burned off and then have burns that are severe enough to cause extenzive damage but they will still live. But who would really pay for this? tax payers!! Paying for their extensive medical bills because these guys probably have no jobs or money. Lock them up and throw away the key!
Nancy Higgins… get a clue..misspent youth? rehabilitation? it takes a true sick individual to watch a poor animal burn.. what are you their mother who doesn’t want to see them go to jail??
esto es una verdadera decepción, como es que hay personas que hacen este tipo de abusos, en contra de los animales.
los animales parecen ser estos dos jóvenes, hay cosas en la visa que se deben pagar, y estos dos jóvenes están pasados, que paguen con una pena ejemplar en una cárcel. para que nunca se atreva a hacer esto de nuevo.
One instance where juveniles deserve no mercy.
FULL PUNISHMENT and then some Your Honor !!!!!!!!!!
has anyone investigated how many other animals these two have abused? i’d venture to guess this was not the first time.
where and who are the parents of these two? they too should be held responsible for those little bastards!!!!!!!
ya no mas al maltrato animal deberian de haber leyes mas drasticas para este tipo de seres por k no creo k sean personas racionales
Absolutely heart breaking. I truly am speechless. The karma bus awaits…
Hola No soy ciudadano Norteamericano, soy de Peru pero vi el caso este y me indigno tanto, estas persona tienen grandes problemas psicologicos, las cuales deberian tener un castigo ejemplar, ya que maltratar a un ser indefenso como este perrito, indica que estas personas son peligrosas y lo mismo harian con cualquier ser humano, bueno me despido y espero que haya justicia para este pobre ser que es Phoenix.
They need to be dragged from their homes, hung up in the center of town and burned alive.
Porque no quiero que NUNCA MAS pase estoo
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