Man Sentenced in Dogs’ Beating Deaths
A 25-year-old man who pleaded guilty to killing his former girlfriend’s three dogs has been sentenced to five years, four months in state prison, the District Attorney’s Office announced.
Patrick Caleb Land was sentenced today by Superior Court Judge J. Robert O’Neil in connection with the beating death of his girlfriend’s three dogs. Land beat one dog to death in September of 2010 and two more dogs in October of that year.
“This is a particularly brutal and disturbing case of animal cruelty,” said District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. “Our office takes these cases very seriously and the five-year prison sentence imposed today sends a strong message that animal abusers will be held accountable for their crimes.”
Land pleaded guilty to three counts of animal cruelty in September of this year, four months after being arrested in North Carolina and extradited to San Diego to face charges.
The three dogs killed were various breeds including, Jackie, a nine-year old white shepherd mix; Pikanik, a four-year old black and tan mixed breed; and Josh, a Great Pyrenees and golden retriever mix. The dogs were beaten to death by the defendant during two separate incidents. Both times he called his girlfriend at work and told her he found the dogs dead in a bedroom. San Diego County Animal Services investigated the deaths after the owners became suspicious.
“We spent many hours investigating this heartless crime against three innocent dogs,” said Dawn Danielsen, Director of County Animal Services. “I’m very proud of the hard work done by our investigator and commend the District Attorney’s Office’s for its dedicated prosecution of this case. Today’s sentencing brings a measure of justice for the animals that were killed and their owner.”
County Animal Services’ investigation determined that DNA found under one of the dog’s nails belonged to Land. The veterinarian who performed necropsies on the dogs determined that two of the dogs appeared to have been beaten while being restrained with something over their heads to keep them quiet and unable to bite defensively. Animal Control Officers with County Animal Services investigate about 3,800 animal abuse or neglect cases a year.