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Calgary man pleads guilty to clubbing puppy to death

CALGARY — A Calgary man has pleaded guilty to clubbing a puppy to death.

CALGARY — A Calgary man has pleaded guilty to clubbing a puppy to death.

Jacob Rabeau, 21, will be sentenced on May 7 for animal cruelty for fatally striking Shea, a four-month-old Husky, on Aug. 2, 2007.

Crown prosecutor Richelle Freiheit said Rabeau was urinating in an alley behind Shea’s owner’s home when the puppy ran towards Rabeau “in an excited state.”

Court heard Rabeau thought the puppy was going to bite him so he went to his car, got a wooden bat or two by four out of his vehicle and swung it, hitting the pup in the head.

Justin Kotulak noticed his pup had escaped from the yard, found him injured in the alley and picked him up, and the dog died in his arms.

Defence lawyer Willie de Wit said Rabeau was initially concerned for his safety, but overreacted by using a piece of wood to strike the animal.

“He acted on instinct and he acted the wrong way,” de Wit said.

De Wit suggested a conditional discharge, which would mean Rabeau would have no criminal record once he completed probation, would be appropriate.

The Crown argued for a short jail sentence followed by probation.