A New Brunswick man who pleaded guilty to animal cruelty after leaving his dog to die has been sentenced to a year in jail.
Kyle Springer pleaded guilty in January to a charge of wilfully causing unnecessary pain and suffering to his dog.
During Springer’s sentencing hearing earlier this month, the court heard that he had moved out of a rental unit and left his dog, Diesel, behind.
According to an agreed statement of facts, a landlord found the dead dog curled up in a fetal position, emaciated, in January 2015, months after Springer had been asked to leave the unit because he hadn’t paid his rent.
The court heard that Diesel had ripped apart anything he could find as he searched for food.
The SPCA says the necropsy showed that Diesel died of starvation and dehydration.
The Crown had asked for a six-month sentence while the defence had recommended a sentence of 90 days.
Springer was sentenced Thursday in Woodstock, N.B.
According to the New Brunswick SPCA, Judge Julian Dickson sentenced Springer to 12 months in jail after stating that the sentence recommended by the Crown would be “grossly inadequate” due to the facts of the case.
The SPCA says the judge also issued a prohibition order on owning animals, or residing in the same premises as animals, for three years following Springer’s release.
“While nothing would make up for the suffering that this animal endured, the judge’s decision showed that we are in a time where animal cruelty is not acceptable in society and that the courts take these cases very seriously,” said the New Brunswick SPCA in a statement on its Facebook page.
