A Wisconsin woman was sentenced to a year in jail after she dragged a puppy and it later died.
Rebecca Schroederus, 48, dragged her parents' 5-month-old English bulldog, named Dolly, through grass and pavement, causing the dog to bleed from her mouth and eventually die, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Schroederus was sentenced in Waukesha County Circuit Court on March 24. She was also sentenced to two years of extended supervision and four years of probation. While on probation she is not allowed to have or care for animals.
Schroederus pleaded no contest on March 10 in exchange for additional charges to be dismissed. She was charged with felony mistreatment of animals in 2019.
According to the criminal complaint, Schroederus was visiting her parents when she took Dolly for a walk. A neighbor said she saw Schroederus dragging the puppy through the grass and pavement. But, when neighbors attempted to intervene, Schroederus was reportedly shaking and saying, "l would never do that to a dog, I'm a dog walker for God sake."
Video surveillance footage also showed Schroederus dragging Dolly off a curb.
The dog was bleeding from her mouth when police arrived at the parents' home, the complaint said. A vet reported that Dolly had significant damage to her trachea, which was consistent with strangulation. Dolly died the next day.
Schroederus told police that she had no intention of harming the puppy, but admitted that may have "pulled a little too hard."
