Dog's Story Shared Millions of Times After Being Set on Fire in Tennessee

The story of a dog who was covered in gasoline and set on fire has been shared millions of times online.

Riona the dog was set on fire on June 20, WHBQ-TV reported. The pit bull mix suffered fourth degree burns to her face and first to second degree burns on the rest of her body.

Tennessee authorities have been investigating the incident, and while no arrests have yet been made, a $20,000 reward for information is being offered, WHBQ-TV said.

The dog was found running up and down the street covered in flames, in Nutbush, Memphis. She was then taken to Memphis Animal Services for treatment, according to the report. The Tails of Hope dog rescue service then took her in.

The Tails of Hope decided to make Riona a TikTok page called Justice4Riona, in order to share her story.

On its Facebook page, the dog rescue said the TikTok page "blew up" to over 2 million followers in just 24 hours. One video has been viewed 3.7 million times, with 584,000 likes.

Pictures of Riona shared to the TikTok page show her covered in bandages while recovering from her severe injuries.

Ginger Natoli, founder of the Tails of Hope Dog Rescue, told Newsweek that Riona is healing "very well."

When the rescue took Riona in, Natoli said they had "no idea" about the fire, and assumed she had suffered a road burn.

"Once our vet determined (the smell was strong, singed fur, open wounds) that she was burnt and covered in diesel fuel and when we looked into this further, we found the report made by the animal control officer. It confirmed she was set on fire via witness statements. We have obtained ring cam footage from a neighbor that also shows her running in a ball of flames," Natoli said.

"Riona is maybe 35 pounds and a year old, a baby...She did loose most of her left ear from basically being burnt off, but we are grateful her left eye was saved. She is getting twice a day full body wraps that take over an hour to do under sedation. This is to avoid infection and protect her skin. She is infection free so far and starting next week the first of many skin grafts will begin."

Mallory McLemore, vet tech manager at Bluff City Veterinary Specialists, told WHBQ that "somebody did this intentionally."

"You can't just have somebody out there like that," McLemore said.

The reward for information has risen dramatically as the investigation continues. A sum of $20,000 is now being offered. The amount was made from online donations, as Riona's story gets shared.

"Just trying to get somebody to come forward who knows what happened to her," McLemore told the news outlet.

Certain acts of animal cruelty are a federal crime and can result in a prison term of up to seven years.

The Memphis Police Department told Newsweek that no arrests have been made and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Update 07/11/22 2:47 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include quotes from Ginger Natoli, a new reward amount, and an update from the Memphis Police Department.