Bucks County SPCA charge Bristol Township man with animal cruelty, allege he lit dog on fire

A Bristol Township man is facing an animal cruelty charge for disciplining his dog by setting him on fire.

The Bucks County SPCA filed the misdemeanor charge Friday against James Ruiz, who turns 30 Wednesday, in the May 13 incident at his home in the 3200 block of Malinda Drive.

On May 15, the Bristol Township animal control officer contacted the SPCA about a report of a dog that had been set on fire the night before, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Bucks County Humane Society Police Officer Nikki Thompson and the animal control officer went to the property to investigate, where they found no one home.

They did not hear a dog in the home, but saw dog bowls on the porch and a tie-out in the backyard with white animal fur, which matched the description of the dog, the affidavit said. A cigarette lighter was also found near the mailbox of the home.

After leaving a note for the residents to call Thompson, the two spoke with a neighbor who had a clear view of the Malinda Drive home’s backyard.  The resident claimed she and her son saw Ruiz in his backyard with his Samoyed dog named, “Cloudy,” the night before.

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At one point, Ruiz yelled loudly something to the effect of “This is your punishment,” and the resident  saw the dog’s fur go up in flames, the affidavit said.  Ruiz quickly extinguished the flames using his hands, the resident said.

Shortly after, the resident said her son was able to get a photo of the singed and discolored fur on the dog, which were shared with Thompson.

When Thompson spoke with Ruiz on May 16 he claimed that “something unknown” had happened to his dog after he got loose in Silver Lake Park for four hours, before returning home on his own.

Ruiz said he didn’t report his dog missing, but he insisted nothing had happened to the dog.

When Thompson went to execute a search warrant at the home to remove the dog, Ruiz was not home, but his wife mentioned that the dog had a burn on its tail, the affidavit said.

While Thompson was at the home, Ruiz returned and he was told the dog was being removed and he would be examined by a veterinarian at the Bucks County SPCA.

Again, Ruiz insisted the dog had run away, that “Cloudy” was his family and nothing was wrong with him.

The vet who examined the dog disagreed, according to the affidavit. She found evidence of discolored and uneven fur attributed to burn damage on the dog’s body. His whiskers also appeared to sustain burn damage, the affidavit said.

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bristol Twp man charged with lighting dog on fire by Bucks County SPCA