Florida man gets year in jail for pouring hot sauce on puppy

SARASOTA , Fla., May 2 (UPI) -- A Florida man who was accused of dumping hot sauce on his girlfriend’s puppy because he got annoyed at its yelping was sentenced to a year in county jail.

Ephrian Myles was given his sentence, which also includes 18 months of probation, after he entered a no contest plea on a felony charge of aggravated animal cruelty.

Circuit Judge Donna Berlin also sentenced Myles to complete an anger management course and ruled that he can no longer keep a pet or live at a house with an animal.

The 47-year-old, who always denied dousing the dog in sauce, had prior convictions, so his sentence could have been far worse.

After the alleged incident, the 3-month-old dachshund-chihuahua mix suffered seizure-like symptoms and had trouble breathing.

The dog was treated for its injuries and adopted by new owners.

“It was a good resolution,” Assistant State Attorney Dan Yuter told the Sarasota Herald Tribune. “There were some problems with the case. There wasn't an eye witness, no direct evidence. I'm just glad the dog was OK and the guy went to jail.”