Man Gets Jail Time For Abusing Pets

A man convicted of abusing his family’s dog and her litter of puppies was sentenced Monday to six months in jail and fined $2,500.

First District Magistrate Daniel McGee suspended 90 days of Matt Legard’s jail sentence and placed him on probation for two years. Legard can earn the suspension of 60 more days of his jail sentence and half the fine by providing McGee with proof that his dog, Goldie, has been spayed.

A jury convicted Legard of one count of misdemeanor animal cruelty earlier this month, deciding that he abused a dozen puppies and the mother dog by refusing to allow her to nurse the litter.

That same jury cleared Legard on two other counts of animal cruelty stemming from his attempt to asphyxiate the litter. Prosecutors alleged Legard killed one puppy and inflicted pain and suffering on the remaining dozen by placing a cardboard box holding the litter under his car’s tailpipe for about 30 minutes.

As a condition of probation, Legard is prohibited from owning an animal that is not spayed or neutered.