Man Pleads Guilty to Beating, Blinding Dog with Rake

After beating and blinding his neighbor's dog with a rake, a Mission Viejo man will serve 180 days in jail.

Michael Stuart Patterson, 51, pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree burglary and cruelty to animals.

On Nov. 16, 2010, Patterson kicked open his neighbor Bill Daly's front door, found the 5-year-old German shepherd, Honey, and proceeded to beat the dog with a garden rake.

Sheriff's officials responded to the 26300 block of Via Logrono at 1 p.m. that day after receiving a 911 call from a neighbor. Honey was found inside the home, officials said, bleeding in a bathtub.

The beating left puncture wounds on Honey, and along with her vision, the dog lost one eye.

Daly said he adopted Honey in April 2010 after seeing an ad on Craigslist.

Prosecutors said the defendant was angry with the dog for barking.

Patterson will serve 180 days in jail, three years' probation and pay Honey's owner a restitution to be determined at a later date.