A Michigan veterinarian was sentenced to 10 days in jail Monday for refusing to return a dog to a homeless man after finding the ailing pit bull mix tied to a truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amanda Hergenreder\u2019s lawyer asked for 120 hours of community service for the misdemeanor larceny conviction. But Grand Rapids Judge Angela Ross said jail was more appropriate for her, plus $1,000 in restitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A year ago, Hergenreder was in Grand Rapids for a professional conference when she saw the 16-year-old dog tied to a truck near a coffee shop. She said she took him to her clinic, two hours away, cleared up a severe urinary tract infection and removed a rotten tooth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prosecutors charged Hergenreder after she refused to return the dog to Chris Hamilton, a Grand Rapids man who lacked a permanent home at the time. She cited her ethical duties as a veterinarian and noted that the dog wasn\u2019t licensed. A jury, however, convicted her at a two-day trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hergenreder told the judge that she saw a \u201cdog in distress.\u201d But she also acknowledged that she \u201cfailed to see the whole picture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI failed to honor the bond between Vinnie and Mr. Hamilton. I failed to recognize the heartbreak that would follow,\u201d the Millington, Michigan, veterinarian said before being sentenced. \u201cI failed to stop, think, and ask questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vinnie \u2014 or Biggby, as Hergenreder called him \u2014 was euthanized in July because of health problems in old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re disappointed in Dr. Hergenreder being sentenced to jail, but we take solace in the fact that Biggby\/Vinnie spent his last few months in a warm, safe, loving, caring environment,\u201d defense attorney Miles Greengard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n