Dorchester man gets six months in jail for pet neglect

By the time a family member got Dana Thomson's Staffordshire Terrier to Angell Animal Medical Center, the dog was so severely emaciated and had so many open sores it had to be euthanized, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office says.

Thomson, 34, of Dorchester, pleaded guilty to two counts of animal cruelty last week and will spend six months in jail, the DA's office reports. Thomson's plea came as his trial was set to begin in Dorchester District Court.

The DA's office says veterinary workers at Angell found Braun, 4, suffering from malnutrition and "more than a dozen open lesions on his body – including one infected wound so large it left muscle and nerve tissue exposed," the DA's office says.

Judge Robert Baylor actually sentenced Thomson to 2 1/2 years in jail, but suspended two years of the sentence if Thomson stays out of trouble for three years - during which time he is barred from owning or even caring for any animals.

"It was a heartbreaking case," DA Dan Conley said in a statement. "This was a creature that should have had a long and healthy life, but its last weeks were spent in hunger and pain."