'Dying' Dog's Former Owner Convicted of Animal Abuse, Animal Agency Says

The former owner of the puppy who was found with a rubber band around its muzzle in December 2011 has been convicted of animal cruelty, according to WTSP 10 News.

The dog's former owner, Tieesha Cogdell, was sentenced Wednesday to 180 days in jail, then one year probation, and she is "not allowed to own any dogs again," according to a post on the SPCA Tampa Bay Facebook page.

Cogdell was also ordered to repay the SPCA for Sox's veterinary care. The exact amount of restitution will be determined at a May 1st hearing, according to WTSP.com.

The yorkie-poodle mix, Sox, now lives with his new family in Largo. Sox was adopted last February, almost two months after he was found by the SPCA.

Sox's tale has a happy ending, but an SPCA Tampa Bay investigator found him in December 2011 with an infected muzzle from a rubber band encircling his muzzle and cutting into the skin and jaw bone. A quick-thinking teacher alerted the SPCA to his situation after a couple of children told her about a puppy "dying slowly" in their bathroom at home.

Related Coverage:

• 'Dying' Dog's Former Owner Rejects a Plea Offer
• 'Dying' Dog's Former Owner Pleaded Not Guilty to Animal Cruelty Charge in Court
• 'Dying' Dog's New Leash on Life
• Dying' Dog's Muzzle Was Bound Shut

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