A 42-year-old man who dumped a severely injured dog in an alley pleaded no contest Wednesday to animal cruelty and was sentenced to two years in prison.
For his two-year sentence, Carlos Duarte was ordered to spend one year in jail and one year on supervised release.
He was also ordered by Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Karen Nudell to perform 40 hours of Caltrans work, attend 52 hours of Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous classes and attend animal-cruelty and neglect counseling.
Duarte will also undergo psychological counseling while in custody, and he will be prohibited from owning any dogs or cats for 10 years. Duarte was ordered to surrender to authorities Tuesday to begin serving his sentence.
A good Samaritan saw the dog and took him to an animal shelter, where an examination determined the canine was dehydrated and had suffered abrasions and burns on both sides of his chest, rear legs and all four paws, police said.
Some initial reports indicated that fireworks may have been strapped to the dog, causing the injuries to the animal, but prosecutors said there was no evidence to support those allegations.
The dog spent four days at the shelter and was then turned over to the New Hope Rescue Team, which named the him "Indy," police said.
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Indy was later taken to the Westlake Village Animal Hospital, where he received seven months of treatment and rehabilitation, according to police.
The dog has since been adopted by one of the hospital technicians.
A small group of animal-rights activists rallied outside the courthouse while Duarte was inside.
