A witness said Fladger brought his dog into a Detroit convenience store and poured gas on the animal, trying to burn the dog inside the store. Customers were frightened and were backing away from the man and all the gasoline he spilled all over the store and the dog.

Yet another witness told MHS investigators that Fladger was seen later showing off in front of some children.

"He was walking down the street, spilling gas at the dog. He was trying to light the dog at the same time he was walking," the witness said.

Natatia Nix from the MHS said this was one of the worst cases of animal abuse she has personally seen. She said the staff sees every type of abuse there is

"but this... We were just looking around the room. We were in there with the dog - each of us were crying."

The shepherd mix dog was treated for the horrendous burns it sustained, but it was just too badly burned and had to be euthanized in the end.

At first, Fladger denied hurting his dog , but he pleaded guilty last week to the torture and killing of an animal. He will be sentenced later this month and can receive as much as four years in prison for his crime.