A central Alberta man has pleaded guilty to an animal cruelty charge in the death of a pet dog.
Daniel Charles Haskett, 19, originally pleaded not guilty to charges in a case that prompted a national outcry for tougher animal cruelty laws. Haskett and a youth admitted they taped a plastic bag over the head of a Lab-border collie cross, dragged it behind a car and hit it over the head with a shovel.
The animal was found barely alive in the middle of an intersection and had to be euthanized by a veterinarian.
The 17-year-old youth, who can't be named because of his age, was sentenced to house arrest and probation.
Haskett has been ordered to undergo a psychological assessment before he is to be sentenced on Aug. 1.