Andrea Rosebrock 
Update 10/23/08 – Burned Yorkie, Bobo, Dies from Injuries
A little 6 year old Yorkie is slowly and painfully recovering after his owner, Tanya Martin, 38, of Lakewood, CO, hogtied him and set him on a burning phonebook on a lighted stove burner.
A neighbor of Martin’s at the Alpine Mountain Vista apartment complex smelled burning and heard the little dog yelping at about 9 pm Sunday night and called the police. When the police arrived, they found Bobo, tied up with speaker wire and laying on his back on top if the burning phonebook on the stove.
Bobo was rushed to the Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital where 11-year veterinarian Elisa Mazzaferro and hospital staffers began emergency treatment.
But first Mazzaferro had to gather her emotions. “When we first heard about his injuries, my breakfast came right up my throat,” Massaferro said. “I had about two minutes to prepare myself, and then we went to work.”
The little 10 pound dog was burned over 50% of his body with serious injuries were to his tongue, lower jaw and feet pads.
“He’s lost most of his feet pads,” Mazzaferro said. However, the terrier’s trunk, torso and abdominal areas were spared.
They also found out that the little guy is deaf.
Although they are cautiously optimistic about Bobo’s recovery, right now the biggest threat to his recovery is infection.
“One of his biggest hurdles is whether or not he gets an infection,” said Elisa M. Mazzaferro, the director of emergency services at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital. “It’s too soon to tell if he’s out of the woods.”
“We’ll try to control his pain and keep down infection. He’s a really sweet dog. He hasn’t tried to bite us, and he’s very docile,” said Mazzafero.
Sunday night when officers tried to question Martin but described her as speaking incoherently and refusing to make statements about the dog and a relative said Martin suffers from mental illness.
Martin was arrested on felony animal cruelty charges and appeared in court in Jefferson County on Monday. She’s being held on a $10,000 bond and will be in court again Oct. 23.
“She will be formally charged and will go through the process as anyone else would,” said Steve Davis with Lakewood Police. “We will have to wait for the investigation to be completed and for any evaluations that would be done on the suspect.”
If her family knew she was mentally unstable, why didn’t they try to keep an eye on her, care for her. Neighbors said they often heard her speaking incoherently but thought she may have been talking on a cell phone.
“I thought she was talking on the phone and I figured she was having an argument with somebody, but after this, I’m pretty sure she was yelling at nobody,” neighbor Steven Garcia said.
What a horribly sad situation but thankfully someone was actually will to get involved and that is probably all the saved that little dog.
I hope this woman is put somewhere where she can no longer be a danger to herself or others. I want to be angry at her but mentally ill people live in a different world than we do and who knows what she was thinking. What I am angry about is that no one could care enough about her to keep an eye on her. Had she ever shown dangerous tendencies before? Should be even have had a dog?
This whole thing is sad and pathetic and I guess we should be glad that dog was rescued and hope and pray that he survives.
THIS IS A VERY SAD & STICKY SITUATION. I KNOW HOW MENTAL ILLNESS CAN BE. THE THING THAT PISSES ME OFF IS WHERE WAS THIS WOMENS FAMILY????? ALSO IF THE NEIGHBORS NOTICED HOW INCOHERANT SHE WAS WHY WASN’T THE POLICE IR MENTAL HEALTH PEOPLE CALLED.ALL THIS COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF ALL THESE THINGS WERE DONE. I HOPE BEBO MAKES IT & THAT SOMEONE WILL GIVE HIM A GOOD HOME. DEANNA PLEASE KEEP US POSTED ON BEBO OK.
This is the result of the politician’s removing funding for institutions for the mentally ill. In our neck of the woods they brazenly call it “Care in the Community”. In other words they’ve closed the facilities and tipped such people into the streets to fend for themselves.
This little dog has paid the price.
What really beggars belief for me is that the neighbours didn’t approach her directly, but instead left this little guy toasting until police arrived. Had they had the balls to intervene his injuries would be far less severe.
People! Give me a good dog any day.
WELL I DO AGREE WE STILL NEED INSTITUTIONS. THERE ARE HOWEVER SOME LIKE MY SON WHO IS AUSTIC THAT DON’T NEED TO BE INSTISTUIONALIZED. BUT THIS WOMEN CLEARLY NEEDED TO BE IN STITUTIONLIZED. HER FAMILY SHOULD HAVE SEEN TO IT THAT SHE WAS TAKEN CARE OF & SHE SHOULD NEVER OF HAD A DOG BECAUSE IF SHE CAN’T TAKE CARE OF HERSELF HAW CAN SHE BE EXPECTED TO TAKE CARE OF A DOG. NOW THEY WAN’T TO THROW HER IN JAIL BUT I DON’T THINK SHE SHOULD BE JAILED SHE SHOULD BE PLACED INTO AN INSTITUTION WHERE SHE CAN GET THE CARE SHE NEEDS.THIS IS CLEARLY A CASE WHERE BOTH SHE & THE DOG WERE VICTIMS OF STUPID POLITICIAN’S & FAMILY MEMBERS & NOW THE DOG & HER ARE PAYING A VERY VERY HEAVY PRICE.
I cant believe there could be people like this woman in the world, people that can make this kind of cruelty turn to reality, i mean i dont think she would like to be set on fire neither did the dog. He didnt ask to have such a noncaring person as an owner he just wants love. For people like her is that our world is not a better place. I really cant stand to see a puppy suffer is just too much ):
@Stella(: – WAIT A MINUTE YOU HAVE TO RELIZE THAT MENTAL ILLNESS IS VERY REAL. DON’T GET ME WRONG I WOULD NEVER EVER CONDONE THIS KIND OF THING BUT THIS WOMEN WAS MENTALLY ILL HER FAMILY KNEW THIS SO TO ME THEY ARE THE ONES WHO SHOULD PAY AS OBVIOUSLY THEY WERE NOT TAKING CARE OF HER AS THEY SHOULD HAVE. SHE REALLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN AN INSTITUTION BUT DUE TO GOVERNMENT CUTBACKS SHE WAS LEFT TO BE CARED FOR BY HER FAMILY & THE COMMUNITY WHICH I FEEL ALL 3 OF THESE SO CALLED PEOPLE FAILED TO DO SO WHO PAYS THE PRICE WELL IN MY OPINION BOTH THE POOR DOG & HER ARE NOW PAYING THE PRICE. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE THAT CAN’T CARE FOR THEMSELVES BE PUT WHERE THEY CAN BE CARED FOR. SSE HER FAMILY NEVER SHOULD OF LET HER HAVE A DOG AS THEY KNEW SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF HERSELF SO HOW CAN THEY EXPECT HER TO CARE FOR A DOG. WE THE PEOPLE NED TO LET THESE POLITICIAN’S KNOW THAT PEOPLE LIKE HER NEED TO BE IN INSTITUTIONS.
It saddens me to see that the health care is so bad here that people with obvious needs go unhelped until something disasterous happens, like this case. What a poor little guy- I hope he’s ok in the long run! Poor baby!
@nicknack – YEA I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. I HOPE THE POOR FELLOW WILL BE OK & THIS WOMEN WILL NOW GET THE HELP SHE SO DESPERLITLY NEEDS.
Poor little soul i hope he recover’s well and get’s more love than he can handle. I can only imagine what else he may have endured while in the care of a mentally disturbed and cruel person.