Sheboygan man, 29, gets jail for abandoning pit bull in a snowstorm

This sick story comes from today's Sheboygan Press:

A 29-year-old Sheboygan man has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for abandoning an emaciated pit bull by tying it outside during a snowstorm.

Chouncey A. Love, of 1937 N. Eighth St., Apt. 1, tied the dog to a stake in an alley near his home the morning of Dec. 9 as a snowstorm dropped 10 inches of snow on Sheboygan. The dog was rescued after a neighbor spotted it.

According to court records released Thursday, Love was sentenced last week and ordered to pay $2,731 restitution to the Sheboygan County Humane Society, which nursed the animal back to health. He was convicted on misdemeanor counts of intentionally abandoning an animal and bail jumping after pleading no contest as part of a plea agreement.

A criminal complaint said the pit bull was rescued quickly after a neighbor saw Love tie the dog outside and leave.

The complaint said the 26-pound dog was barely able to stand, and Humane Society Shelter Manager Carey Payne said at the time the dog had a body score of 1 on a scale that ranges from 1 to 9 and should be 4 or 5 for a healthy dog.

Love said he left the dog in the alley assuming someone else would notice it and contact authorities or the Humane Society, the complaint said. He told police the dog belonged to a friend whom he had not seen for a month.