The female pit bull doused with gasoline and set on fire in Baltimore last week as a crowd watched was euthanized yesterday at a Pennsylvania veterinary hospital.

The Baltimore Animal Rescue Center posted the following report on its Web site:

"Sadly, the beloved Pit Bull originally brought to BARCS and nicknamed Phoenix passed away this morning. Unfortunately her kidneys could not handle the healing process and began to shut down. Due to kidney failure, and the long road still ahead for recovery, the Veterinarians that were caring for her decided it would be best to euthanize her. She touched the hearts of everyone that came in contact with her and anyone who heard her story. We would like to thank everyone who came together to try to save this amazing and courageous dog.

We can only hope now that someone will come forward so that there can be a conviction on this case. BARCS has a reward set up called the "Phoenix Reward" where we are collecting money for anyone who can identify the young men responsible for this cruel act of violence. The reward at this time is at $3,000. This money will be rewarded to the person who comes forward with information about this case that leads to an arrest and conviction."

The dog was rescued by a Baltimore City police officer who saw her burning last Wednesday and used her sweater to put out the fire. Main Line Animal Rescue of Chester Springs stepped in to help cover the extensive costs of her treatment and transported her to Metropolitan Veterinary Clinic in Norristown where a decision to euthanize her was made yesterday.

The original post from Saturday, May 30:

Meet Mercy, a young pit bull torched on the streets of Baltimore and now struggling for her life at Philadelphia area veterinary hospital.

The plea for help went out from Baltimore animal control last Wednesday:

We have a young female pit bull, probably around 2 years old, that was covered in gasoline and set on fire in Baltimore. This happened today in the middle of a street. A police officer saw smoke and called the fire department. When the officer arrived on the scene, she saw the little girl rolling around and burning. The officer took off her sweatshirt and tried to put out the flames.

The fire department arrived and helped her. They brought to our shelter and we immediately sent her to a local vet. BARCS has a very small fund, the Franky Fund, were we receive donations for treatment, but usually of a more minor nature. She is going to need more care than we can provide.

After everything she had been through, she still was wagging her tail and looking at my staff as well as the vet staff for comfort. Her spirit is strong, but her body is almost completely covered in burns. Is this a dog that you could take in?

Main Line Animal Rescue in Chester Springs answered the call for help, transporting the dog to Metropolitan Veterinary Clinic in Norristown where she is under heavy sedation and being treated for burns on 100 percent of her body. One vet called it the worst burn case the clinic had ever seen.

Main Line's founder, Bill Smith, said today that it's touch and go. "We thought we were going to lose her yesterday because her kidneys were shutting down," he said. "We made a decision to put her down but the vet said wait till  8 p.m. When I called back they said she was holding her own. This morning her kidneys were working."

The vet told us, 'maybe she's a miracle dog.'"

So far no one has been charged in Mercy's attack. Smith said she was doused with gasoline before being set on fire and has severe mouth burns suggesting someone poured gasoline down her throat. She also is suffering from deep puncture wounds on her neck. 

Smith said he'd like to see the perpetrators sit and look at Mercy's ravaged body. "I'd like to be able to say, 'look at her, see what you did.'" 

Said Smith, "We named her Mercy because no one showed her any."