HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Waipahu dog breeder will have to pay a $500 fine for animal cruelty, but she can have her dog back, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Heather Hinkle was caught on camera dangling the dog by his neck and striking him last September.
She pleaded no contest to second-degree animal cruelty, a misdemeanor, and received a one-year deferred sentence in addition to the fine.
At her sentencing, attorneys argued over the severity of her actions.
Hinkle explained that she was disciplining her dog, Oban, after he ran into the street.
“He usually comes back, but he thought we were playing and I saw that car zoom by and I feared for his life,” Hinkle said.
“I can tell you this has been extremely hard on my family,” she added, “and I can promise that this will never happen again in the future.”
Defense attorney Dean Hoe said, “This was open-hand discipline, several taps to the head. At no time, and the audio was recorded, at no time did Oban ever cry out or yelp in pain.”
The Hawaiian Humane Society criticized Hinkle’s sentence.
The nonprofit said it supports a bill at the state Legislature that would increase penalties for animal cruelty violations.
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