San Francisco authorities search for suspect who beat, burned dog

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Authorities are asking for the public's help in bringing a dog abuser to justice.

His name's Maximilian and he has been beaten and burned and now his life hangs in the balance.

San Francisco Animal Care and Control has released pictures, but Maximilian's condition is too precarious to see him and get video.

Officers are canvassing the area where it happened and they are desperate to solve the crime. A public works crew found the young dog early Thursday morning, tied up, near death, at Division and South Van Ness. Animal Care and Control has named him Maximilian. His injuries are sickening.

"Larger burns and cigarette burns look to us to be older injuries," said Virginia Donohue, director of San Francisco Animal Care and Control. "The blunt force trauma, the damage to his internal organs has to be very recent."

Maximilian is receiving the best care possible, but he may not make it. That only intensifies animal control's desire to find whoever did this. "Working in this field, this is the very thing we commit ourselves to preventing and addressing and it affects us all to see what this dog went through," said San Francisco Animal Care and Control Capt. Denise Bongiovanni.

Dog lovers are outraged. "Anyone with an iota of conscience, I can't believe anyone would do that to a dog," said Shringar Pangal, a San Francisco resident.

Especially to a dog like Maximillian. "He's been abused terribly, and he's super friendly," Donohue said. "He's sweet. He's loving. He's letting us all pet him."

If you have any information about this case, call San Francisco Animal Care and Control at 415-554-9400. Callers can remain anonymous. Even the smallest detail might help.

Officers are combing through hours of surveillance video and offering a reward, hoping for a lead.

The reward to find the dog's abuser increased from $500 Friday night to $10,000 on Saturday.

Click here if you want to help with Maximilian's care.