OGDEN — No criminal charges will be filed in the death of an 8-year-old Chihuahua that was found severely burned in an Ogden-area campsite fire pit.
The female dog known as Hope sustained burns to more than 25 percent of her body, mainly on the limbs and belly, and died early July 4.
A woman found the dog in a South Fork Canyon area campsite fire pit around June 20, but the incident wasn’t reported to authorities until June 28.
After some initial speculation that the dog may have been intentionally placed in the fire as an act of cruelty, Weber County Sheriff’s Lt. Mark Lowther said an investigation revealed that a young girl put the dog in the pit.
Lowther said the girl thought the dog was cold and wrapped it up in a blanket and then placed it on top of the fire’s burning coals.
Lowther said his office would not be releasing the girl’s age in order to protect her identity.
“She was young enough to where she did not comprehend the consequences of putting the dog in the fire pit,” Lowther said. “There were no obvious flames in the pit when she placed the dog in it, and she didn’t realize how hot the coals were. It was an accident.”
Lowther said his office’s investigation found nothing criminal about the incident and, as a result, no charges will be filed with the Weber County Attorney’s Office.
Hope was buried July 14 at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab.
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