Chennai

According to the dog’s owner, Harish, the incident took place at 9.20 pm at his house in Kelambakkam. There was a short-circuit near the house that led to the kennel in which the dog was kept and it caught on fire.

“All of this happened within a span of 5 minutes. I left him in his kennel at 9:20 pm and went up to my room. My wife, Asha, and dad were watching TV and both of them smelled smoke all of a sudden. After nearly 25 buckets of water, he stood back up and we rushed him to the hospital,” said Mohan, in a detailed Facebook post. He added that he speculates that the dog’s cornea has shattered and burns cover his entire face. Mohan stated in the post that Santiago has suffered 60 per cent burns and that his kidneys have been damaged. The Golden Retriever has won multiple shows in the United States, Canada, and India. Stating clearly in his post that this was a freak accident and not a cause of neglect, Mohan said, “Thankfully he is still breathing. I don’t have the courage to share pics of him in this condition. We’ve done a lot together and have the fondest and most special memories.”