PATERSON -- Someone poured a scalding liquid on a small, white dog, causing third-degree burns.

Turning that person in could be worth $2,500.

Paterson Animal Control was notified Sunday that a bichon frise mix with a badly burned lower back was walking around North Eighth Street and Temple Street, Chief Animal Control Officer John DeCando said Tuesday.

The dog was brought to Blue Cross Dog & Cat, the city's veterinarian, where Dr. Paul Sova Jr. determined that someone had poured some kind of chemical on the animal several days earlier. The male dog, who was dubbed Snowy by staff members at Blue Cross, was given antibiotics and his wound was cleaned. He will need extensive skin grafting because so much time went by between when he was injured and when he was treated.

Because the abuse was extreme, the Humane Society of the United States agreed to DeCando's request to put up a $2,500 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who hurt the dog.

The city is paying for the few hundred dollars in treatment that Snowy is receiving at Blue Cross, DeCando said.

START 2 of Bergen County, an animal care group in Elmwood Park, will cover the thousands of dollars worth of skin grafting that Snowy will need over the next few months. There were no other signs that the dog had been mistreated, Sova said.

"He's probably been in a household somewhere. He's not a street dog," he said.

DeCando said Snowy was wearing a flea collar when he was found -- another indication that he was a house pet.

That the dog probably has an owner led DeCando to two possible conclusions, neither of them pleasant. The first was that the dog's owner was responsible for the raw, red burn that covers his back above his tail. The other possibility was that Snowy was burned while he was missing, but that the owner never bothered to call animal control to find him.

"If you're missing a child, you call the cops and make a report," DeCando said. "The right thing to do (in this case) is call animal control."

As DeCando spoke, Snowy leaned on his lap and licked the officer's face.

The person who burned the dog could face two animal cruelty charges, one for inflicting unnecessary pain and one for torture, DeCando said. Each count could carry a six-month jail sentence and/or a $1,000 fine, he said.

Anyone with information about the incident may call the Paterson Animal Shelter at 973-881-3640.

Reach Brian Spadora at 973-569-7132 or spadora@northjersey.com.

Original Story: http://www.bergenrecord.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MDA3MDUy