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Man Gets 3 Days In Jail For Shooting Neighbor's Beagle Dead

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 46-year-old Winona County man will spend three days in jail after he fatally shot his neighbor's beagle back in February.

Dale Orville Douglas was sentenced in the case in Winona County Court on Wednesday. He had been charged with two counts of mistreating animals in connection with the incident, which happened Feb. 20.

According to charges filed in the case, Douglas's neighbor said they let their beagle out to run early that night. When it returned about 20 minutes later, the dog was short of breath and acting sick. The owner observed a wound on the dog's right side contacted authorities.

By the time an officer arrived, the dog died. The owner told authorities the next day that there were beagle prints in Douglas's yard. He denied shooting the dog when confronted by the owner and said the dog probably had a heart attack.

Douglas told authorities the following Monday that he shot the beagle with a pellet gun after it kept trying to fight with his dog. He told authorities he only wanted to scare the dog away and did not intend to kill it. He told authorities he knew the dog wasn't after him and wasn't sure if the beagle posed a serious threat to his dog.

In addition to three days in jail, Douglas will be put on supervised probation for three years. He must also pay the victim $140 in restitution.

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