03 noviembre 2005

Man bites dog, gets 60 days

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- An Alaska man has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for biting a chunk out of his dog's ear.

John Ray Martin of Fairbanks pleaded no contest to one count of animal cruelty, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. A judge also ordered Marin to pay a $250 fine, suspending it as long as he repays $175 that Fairbanks North Star Borough paid for a vet to treat the dog.

Martin reportedly became enraged when the dog's former owner confronted him at a shopping center and asked to have the boxer mix back because it was being badly treated. Witnesses said Martin knelt down and bit the dog's ear -- leaving the ear bloody and the animal yowling in pain.

A half-inch square piece of ear was found on the ground.

The dog has been turned over to a rescue organization for adoption.