Hope, the dog set on fire in Arcadia back in March, has a long road to recovery. The dog is still alive, thanks in part to a 10-year-old’s quick thinking.
Max Marin still remembers the day he saw plumes of smoke in the air.
“I saw black smoke in the sky when I was playing basketball and then I saw the dog running in the grass,” Max said. “It was chained to an orange tree.”
When Max saw her, he immediately ran to his mom for help. The dog’s former owner was arrested and charged with one count of cruelty to animals and one count of arson.
Hope still receives daily laser treatment at the Hardee Animal Clinic in Wauchula. But her recovery started in Tampa, at the Blue Pearl Veterinary Hospital.
Her new owner is Leigh Sockalosky, the president of Hardee Animal Rescue Team. Sockalosky is a big fan of Max.
“Just overwhelmed with joy that he, as a young child, was able to go and get help from his mom for Hope or Hope wouldn’t be alive today,” Sockalosky said.
Max’s mom Kristina agrees.
“It makes me feel great. He did what I would expect of any child to do, (which) is to do the right thing,” Kristina said.