Pa. SPCA seeks men who beat and burned a dog

A reward was being raised by the Pennsylvania SPCA to find a group of men who participated in the beating and burning of a mixed boxer in a West Philadelphia neighborhood.

Police were called around 4:15 p.m. Thursday to the 100 block of North Hirst Street by neighbors who said they had seen the men attack the female dog. The animal also suffered third-degree burns over its face and left hind leg. The dog was taken to the SPCA shelter in North Philadelphia, where - because of the seemingly senseless nature of the crime - she was given the name Y-Me?

Phillies second baseman Chase Utley and his wife, Jennifer, picked up the tab for the dog's medical and rehabilitation expenses, SPCA official Lisa Rodgers said yesterday.

She said those expenses could run as high as $3,000. Donations for a reward to seek out and prosecute the perpetrators were being accepted, Rodgers said. Donations can be sent to Pennsylvania SPCA, at 350 E. Erie Ave., Philadelphia 19134, or on the Web at www.pspca.org.