A 27-year-old Estevan man has been sentenced to 90 days in jail for killing a puppy he adopted from the Estevan Humane Society earlier this year.
Winston Klassen was handed his sentence on August 18 in Estevan Provincial Court by Judge Mitch Miller.
Klassen also received 18 months of probation and a three-year ban on owning, caring for, or living in the same home as an animal or bird.
Klassen pleaded guilty in March to wilfully killing the puppy without excuse after being charged by Estevan police in January.
Video evidence played a key role in the case.
Miller noted the footage showed the dog going to the bathroom, running playfully away from Klassen, and then returning.
Klassen picked it up, dropped it deliberately, and kicked it while it was still in midair.
The puppy ran off, circled back to the apartment door, and collapsed on the sidewalk, dying from its injuries about 25 seconds later.
In his ruling, Miller said Klassen originally claimed he had slipped and fallen on the dog but changed his story when confronted with the video.
The judge noted Klassen expressed some remorse in a pre-sentence report but also minimized the incident, at one point saying, “It’s just a dog.”
“I did not find him truly remorseful,” said Miller, adding that a suspended sentence would not satisfy the goals of deterrence or denunciation.
The Crown had sought six months in jail, while the defence argued for a suspended sentence with probation. Both sides agreed on the animal ban.
Klassen, speaking emotionally in court, said he wishes he could undo his actions and has since found stable work.
The maximum penalty for animal cruelty under the Criminal Code is nearly two years in custody and/or a $10,000 fine.