Homeless Couple's Dog 'Oreo' Assaulted By Teens In Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE, MA — A dog named Oreo tried to protect his owner this weekend after the owner said a teenager pushed her Saturday. The dog grabbed the teen’s foot, bringing him to the ground, and in return, the teen and a friend kicked the dog repeatedly and so severely the dog now needs serious medical attention.

That's according to the couple, who set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help pay for the dog's veterinarian bills.

"He's not acting like himself, he's not eating, and he twitches when I touch him in some places," Alisha Candelora told Patch.

Cambridge police told Patch they're aware of the assault and are working on making sure it's documented.

Candelora and her boyfriend Carl Diggs have been homeless on and off for the past five years sleeping on the streets and sometimes in hotels or a room here and there when they can.

Candelora, who struggles with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, came to own Oreo about two years ago. She said she nursed the dog back to health after his previous owner neglected him, and Oreo has been her protector since. She said she even registered him online as a service, (emotional support) dog. He's great with children and loves other dogs (as long as they're neutered) and people, she said.

But if there is an argument, or he senses she's in danger, the dog will intervene. And that's what happened Saturday near Harvard Square where you can usually find them sitting on a bench, she said.

Candelora was in an argument with someone over $20 she and her boyfriend had borrowed to use to stay at a place where they could get a shower. As it escalated, the teen stepped forward, she said. Candelora warned him her dog would take that as a threat. But he appeared to disregard that and pushed her, she said. And that's when the 115-pound Pitt-Bullmastiff mix grabbed the shoe of the teen and wouldn't let go.

Diggs said he believed the teens who kicked his girlfriend's dog were also homeless and from a local youth shelter.

Candelora immediately helped pry the dog off the teen, but as she was, the teen and another person kicked the dog in the head and the eye.

"His whole left side, jaw, eye cheek and ear all hurt," Candelora said.

Candlora and Diggs tried to take him to the Merwin Clinic in Allston, but vet was so full they couldn't immediately get in. They made plans for a visit this week, but they’re not sure they will be able to afford it.

"We are homeless and struggling so we don’t have ... much means to get around or anything so anything will help, we are pressing charges also to get him off the street from what he done to oreo," Diggs wrote in the GoFundMe post.

Candlora said since the argument, they’ve put up a sign asking for help for the dog, but the teens have come by and harassed her and made threats about her dog, she said.

The couple are asking for $1,000 to help with the dog's medical expenses. As of the first hour of posting the GoFundMe two people had donated $50 to the fund. Two hours later the couple raised $230.

"The GoFundMe is going to be used to cover any vet bills we have," Candlora said. "Tomorrow we're going to go get him checked out. Basically [we want to] try to get him inside and keep him safe until we can figure out something."

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Hat tip to @universalHub for the story idea.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).

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