Dog burned outside Cumberland County home put down

A dog that suffered severe burns during an incident at a Cumberland County home last week was euthanized Monday night due to the severity of her injuries, according to officials at a Raleigh animal hospital.

Cocoa, a Chihuahua mix, was the victim of bad blood between her owner, Dominique Clark, and James Franklin Quick.

Clark said she let Cocoa out to play and the dog returned to the door on fire. Investigators with the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office accuse Quick, 23, of Red Springs, with pouring accelerant on the dog and setting it on fire.

Quick is charged with animal cruelty. In his first court appearance last week, Quick said he did not understand why people were making "a big fuss over a dog."

Cocoa was originally treated at Cape Fear Animal Hospital before being moved late last week to Animal Emergency Hospital and Urgent Care in Raleigh.

Cocoa received care in Raleigh over the weekend, but veterinarians said in a Facebook post Monday night that specialists at North Carolina State University said she was suffering and did not have a good prognosis for recovery.

She was euthanized late Monday at N.C. State.

In a nod to the passionate attention that the dog's case has drawn, the hospital's post concluded: "We ask that everyone respect Cocoa's family and be considerate of their loss when commenting."