(AP) - Two teenagers have been charged with setting a Jack Russell terrier puppy on fire last month in Buffalo.
Seventeen-year-old Diondre Brown and 19-year-old Adell Zeigler of Buffalo appeared in City Court Wednesday on charges of felony animal cruelty. Zeigler was denied bail because of a prior conviction. The judge set bail for Brown at $20,000.
The 16-week-old puppy was found on fire in a yard on Buffalo's east side on Oct. 29. Named Phoenix by his rescuers, the dog is recovering at an animal hospital with burned ears, an ankle infection, and blistered eyelids.
Following their court hearing, Brown's grandmother told local media outlets that Brown denies lighting the fire and blames Zeigler. Zeigler's mother, meanwhile, says her son also denies wrongdoing.
The teens are due back in court Monday.
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