OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 10 (UPI) -- A California man was sentenced to four years in prison, with no possibility of parole, for severely beating his pit bull with an ax handle and crowbar.
A jury convicted Charles Black of Oakland Jan. 12 of two felony animal cruelty counts, and the sentencing Wednesday was attended by animal welfare advocates, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
"This gives us a lot of hope that the county is taking animal abuse seriously," said the president of Friends of Oakland Animal Services, Willow Liroff, commending the Alameda County district attorney for vigorously prosecuting the case.
Black's neighbors videotaped him beating Blueberry, his dog, on two occasions, the Chronicle reported.
The tapes show Blueberry lying down, squealing and yelping each time he was struck, the district attorney said.
The dog recovered from his lacerations and bruises, and was adopted by a new family, the newspaper said.
