HOME - You are here >>>> An Appeal for Ozzie - Use back button to return to news and views or one of the link buttons above to navigate elsewhere on our website.

 Border Collie Rescue - On Line - An Appeal for Ozzie

We are a nation of animal lovers, aren't we? Hard to believe when you can read stories about cruelty in our local and national papers every day. Recently there have been some bad ones - thugs in Glasgow cut the tail off a Border Collie and it dies from loss of blood - now this from Bedminster, Bristol - thugs tie up a Border Collie and set him on fire!

Really does make you sick doesn't it, but at least this dog - Ozzie - is still alive, but not yet out of the woods as more treatment will be needed to ensure his survival. He lives thanks to prompt action by local RSPCA and the tremendous work done by the local PDSA branch.

Kind hearted journalists of the Bristol Evening Post have taken his case to heart and are championing his cause and leading the search for his abusers, but more help would be welcome. Read his story and use the links at the bottom of the page if you feel you would like to help.

14/04/2007 - Niamh Byrne - Sickened readers offer reward to track down dog's attackers

Ozzie's owners Michael and Pauline Kaines were told by a vet yesterday that he must have an operation on Monday where he will be put under anesthetic and have all the badly-burnt flesh and fur cut away to make him more comfortable. The vet has told Mr. Kaines that Ozzie may not survive his injuries and the next week or two will be a critical time.

RSPCA inspector Glyn Roberts said anyone with any information about Ozzie's attackers should call the RSPCA on 08705 555 999 - information can be given anonymously.

16/04/2007 - Niamh Byrne - Owners overwhelmed by pledges of support after pet set alight by thugs

OWNERS of a pet dog who was tied up and set on fire by thugs said they were overwhelmed by the generosity of Evening Post readers.

Michael and Pauline Kaines said they could not believe the compassionate response to the story of their two-year-old border collie Ozzie, which was found with life-threatening burns to its face and body after he was apparently tied up with electrical flex and set alight.

Readers have so far pledged £1,520 in reward money - with an extra £1,000 put up by the Post - for anyone who can provide information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the thugs responsible for the attack on Ozzie.

Letters of support, gifts and treats have been pouring in for Ozzie since the Post first reported his story on Friday.

Mr. Kaines, 54, of St John's Crescent, Bedminster, said: "People have been so supportive. We have had letters over the weekend, people bringing gifts of toys and treats to the house for Ozzie, and even a visit from a nurse who wanted to see how he was."

Ozzie yesterday had surgery at the PDSA clinic in Bath Road to remove all his burnt and damaged flesh to make him more comfortable.

Mr. and Mrs. Kaines are now awaiting results of critical tests to determine whether he has a serious infection.

Ozzie's recovery chances are partly dependent on whether or not his burn wounds have caused internal infection.

Ozzie managed to lie down and have a short sleep at the weekend after being in considerable distress. Mr. Kaines said: "He seems more like himself at the moment and hopefully the operation has made him more comfortable.

"We are awaiting the test results that will tell us whether or not he has an internal infection from his wounds.

"I took photos to use on posters that I will put up around the area to appeal for information."

Ozzie was found by an RSPCA officer in Bedminster with horrific burn injuries, hours after going missing from Mr. Kaines's home nearby.

After his owners were identified through his microchip it became apparent that Ozzie had gone missing and after finding melted electrical flex in the fur around his neck RSPCA officers concluded he had been tied up before being deliberately set on fire.

Mr. and Mrs. Kaines have been told that Ozzie may not survive his injuries.

RSPCA inspector Glyn Roberts said the case was the worst he had seen in his 17-year career.

Anyone who wishes to pledge money for a reward to catch Ozzie's attackers should call the Post news desk on 934 3333. Mr. Kaines has requested that anyone who wants to give money towards Ozzie's treatment can donate money to the PDSA or RSPCA in Bristol.

Anyone with any information about Ozzie's attackers should call the RSPCA on 0870 555 5999 - information can be given anonymously.

17/04/2007  - Katharine Barker - Poster appeal: Seven-year-old Cheralyn Groves who plays with Ozzie with the injured dog and his owner Michael Kaines - Latest op was a success, but it's still touch and go

VETS say the life of a dog that was tied up and set on fire by thugs still hangs in the balance, despite the success of an operation which it is hoped will save him.

Ozzie, a two-year-old border collie, was brutally attacked last week and left with life-threatening burns.

Since then his owners, Michael and Pauline Kaines from Bedminster, have been inundated with calls and letters from concerned Post readers, horrified by the attack.

Today the Post has launched a poster offering a reward for information to bring the thugs that attacked Ozzie to justice. The amount on offer for anyone who provides information leading to the conviction of Ozzie's torturers now stands at £2,620 - £1,000 from the Post and the rest pledged by readers.

Ozzie underwent an operation on Monday in a bid to help him recover from the ordeal and Michael and Pauline are hoping that he will continue to recover.

Mr. Kaines said: "They cut away all of the burnt parts and found more burns underneath his fur. They did some work on his nose and they took out the abscess in his eye. He is able to move more easily because they have cut away the burnt flesh that was irritating him and he is eating again. He is eating from his bowl now, which is amazing, because he only used to eat from my hand."

Ozzie is returning to the vet on Thursday when the Kaines will find out results of tests that will tell them how badly he has been damaged on the inside.

Mr. Kaines said: "They scanned him to find out if he has any infection in his bladder or bowel and took samples from him. We are now waiting to find out. He is still in pain and shaky from the anesthetic. He is very unsteady on his feet."

Mr. Kaines said the family were now resting all their hopes on Ozzie making a full recovery.

He said: "The vet has still said he is hanging in the balance so we are just hoping that he will get better. He is like a member of the family - he is our baby."

Mr. Kaines said he was overwhelmed by the support and generosity from people in Bristol who had been moved by Ozzie's story.

He said: "The response has been unbelievable. I have had so many messages of support. Lots of pubs in the area have asked for collection boxes and people have been stopping me in the street to ask how Ozzie is.

"I even had a letter from one woman who didn't even know my address but it still found its way to me."

Among those who have offered support is Geoff Lewis, owner of Pet's Paradise in St Nicholas Market, who has offered the Kaines free food and treats for Ozzie until he recovers.

Mr. Lewis said: "I was horrified when I heard what had happened to Ozzie. No animal deserves to go through that."

Mr. Kaines said he is confident that the thugs who attacked Ozzie will be caught.

He said: "I'm getting bits of information and I think I know who it is."

Anyone with information on the attack should call the RSPCA on 0870 555 5999.

10:40 - 21 April 2007

OZZIE THE TORTURED COLLIE ON THE MEND

Ozzie the dog, who was tied up and set alight, has been given a new course of treatment after seeing a burns specialist. The two-year-old border collie was referred to the specialist at Bristol University's Clinic of Veterinary Science in Langford by the PDSA.

There he was examined and given a special cream that his owner Michael Kaines must apply to his body twice a day. He was also given an extra course of painkillers to relieve his suffering.

Mr. Kaines, aged 54, of St John's Crescent, Bedminster, said: "He is in a lot of pain but he is managing to lie down and sleep, thanks to the medicines". "Hopefully these new treatments will help him to get better faster".

"The specialist said that there are definite signs of improvement. Ozzie is making great progress and his skin has already started to heal." He is now going to work closely with the PDSA and monitor Ozzie. "I now feel more confident about his recovery."

Ozzie has already had an operation at the PDSA clinic this week to remove burnt flesh and has also been taking painkillers. He is due to have a further similar operation at the clinic on Monday.

Ozzie was found in the early hours of Good Friday by an RSPCA officer in Bedminster with horrific burn injuries to his face and body, hours after going missing from Mr. Kaines's house nearby.

At first it was believed he had been in a house fire, but after finding melted electrical flex in the fur around his neck, RSPCA officers concluded he had been tied up before deliberately being set on fire.

Evening Post readers and this newspaper have together pledged more than £4,000 in reward money to anyone who can help bring Ozzie's torturers to justice.

Anyone with information should call the RSPCA on 08705 555 999 - information can be given anonymously.

Today - 21/04/07 - there is another story of a Border Collie attacked by yobs near Tewkesbury on Gloucestershire. A 5 yr old dog called 'Taz' was shot twice with an airgun while out walking with his owners and then stabbed with a what is thought to be a round metal rod.

After 4 hours of surgery and 27 stitches, Taz is now recovering at home. A police spokeswoman said: "We will be following up this incident and would appeal for anyone with information shedding light on what happened to the dog to come forward.

"Please call police on 0845 090 1234."

To be eligible for PDSA help, pet owners need to live within the catchment area of a PDSA service
and receive either Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit.
The PDSA's veterinary services are funded entirely by public support
through donations, legacies and other funding activities.

RSPCA

Bristol and District Branch
48 Albert Road
St Philips
Bristol
BS2 0XA

info@rspca-bristol.org.uk

The facilities at the Clinic and Dogs and Cats Home allow us to treat and re-home literally thousands of animals and birds each year. However the running costs are in the region of £1 million a year. These costs are met almost entirely by fundraising, donations and legacies from the public.

As a dog rescue organisation for Border Collies we come across some pretty awful things done to dogs by humans, but this certainly ranks as one of the worst cases of deliberate and malicious cruelty we have ever had the misfortune to hear of.

We simply cannot understand the mentality of the people who carried out this heinous crime and join with other readers of the Bristol Evening Post in praying that they are caught and punished for their actions.

As dog owners we are aware that Mr. & Mrs. Kaines must be deeply distressed by what has been done to Ozzie and offer them our sympathy and best wishes.

To Ozzie go our heartfelt hopes that he makes a complete recovery from his injuries. It is hard to imagine what terrors and pain he has been through at the hands of these sick people. Ozzie will have been brought up to regard humans as friends and companions. We hope that he will learn to trust people again.

Even under the recently introduced Animal Welfare Act the punishment for such cruelty is hardly adequate justice for the crime committed against this dog, however these sick people need to be caught before any punishment is possible.

It is wonderful that so many have responded to this story and that a reward has been offered, but if we had the slightest clue as to who these people are we would report them in an instant – our reward would be to see them standing in the dock, publicly shamed for their callousness.

If they are not caught they will probably do similar things to other animals – perhaps children, the elderly – any potential victim that can’t fight back.

Let’s face it; these people are weak-minded cowards with a particularly nasty streak.

We urge anyone with any information – no matter how trivial it may seem – to contact the authorities and pass it on.

Copyright - Border Collie Rescue - 3037504