BUCKLEY, MICHIGAN: A Buckley man, who killed and brutally dismembered his neighbor's dog and previously pleaded guilty, was sentenced on Monday, July 24. Thomas Middaugh has been sentenced to sixty days in prison for killing and cutting off the labrador retriever's head and legs.
"Sixty days is better than nothing in our eyes. Nothing is ever going to feel like enough, but it was something," said the dog named Bear's owner Samantha Olds after Middaugh was sentenced by a 28th Circuit Court jury in Wexford County, according to People.
Who is Thomas Middaugh?
On May 31, Middaugh, who was sentenced to prison with two days credit along with two years probation, pleaded guilty to a third-degree charge of attempting to kill or torture animals. Judge Jason Elmore who sentenced the 44-year-old man stated it was "concerning that [Middaugh] cut off the dog's legs and decapitated him and I can't find anywhere where that makes sense." During the court hearing where Bear's owners, Samantha and Justin Olds were present, Middaugh stated that he wanted to "apologize for the whole situation."
Bear who is known to have a gentle nature was brutally mutilated
As per the press release issued by Michigan State Police in March, the couple informed them their black Labrador retriever was killed on February 4 in Wexford Township. The Olds told cops that the 7-year-old dog had "wandered off the property" on February 3.
The couple then followed Bear's tracks to their neighbor's property where they found a pool of blood in the snow. The snow also had tire tracks that led up to where the animal had been. According to Michigan State Police, the killer shot the dog several times using a .22 caliber rifle before he "cut the head and legs off the dog, wrapped it in a tarp and put it inside a box that he hid inside his barn."
Talking to the Traverse City Record-Eagle, Samantha and Justin said their family pet, Bear, had a gentle nature. The couple also stated that Bear had his tags on and collars which indicated that he belonged to the Olds family. Under Michigan law, it is illegal for a person to harm a dog unless it was killing livestock on Middaugh's property.
Speaking of the support from several families gathered at the court for the hearing, Samantha said, "The support that we've had from random strangers even just it's been so heartwarming, and it's really helped our hearts get through this situation. We just think about Bear and how he would have loved every single person that was reaching out to us."