Brennen Cooper, 18, claims his dad, Brian Cooper, was upset with the dog -- a 4-year-old shepherd mix named Bud -- for going to the bathroom inside the house and said he wanted it gone.
Brennen told officers he assumed that his father meant he wanted the dog dead. He said his sisters and brother weren't doing anything to train the dog to go outside so he would "take care of it himself," a police report said.
Authorities say Brennen then brought Bud outside on the porch, tied him to a pole with a chain, covered him in gasoline and set him on fire.
Brennen told police he realized what he had done once his sisters started screaming.
Brian's girlfriend told police she heard the girls screaming and went outside to find the dog on fire.
She put out the flames with a shirt, put Bud in the upstairs bathtub and put vinegar on him to "neutralize the burns."
Bud was taken to an animal hospital for an examination and treatment. He suffered extreme burns to his stomach and rear legs, but is expected to recover from his injuries.
Bud was returned to Brian and is recovering from the first and second-degree burns back at home.
Brennen is facing a felony charge of animal abuse. He remains in the Grant County Jail.
Brian said his son carries emotional scars from his childhood in foster care, but he never thought he would take it out on anyone in the family.
"These dogs are family members to us and that's why I had my son arrested, because it would have been like setting one of my girls on fire -- no different," Brian said.
(The Indy Channel - July 16, 2015)
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