HILLSBORO - A Forest Grove man who buried his daughter's dog alive was sentenced Tuesday to 120 days in jail on one count of misdemeanor animal abuse.

Hyrum Long, 75, said he was trying to euthanize the dog last October when he hit it on the head with a hammer and buried it up to its neck.

"It was not my intent to hurt nobody," he said. "I apologize for all I did. I have no animosity towards nobody."Police were called to Long's home on the 2200 block of Laurel Street last October after neighbors heard the dog, a yellow Labrador named Molly , barking and whimpering in the backyard. They found Molly buried up to her neck and bleeding, unable to move.

Long said the dog was sick, and since he could not afford a veterinarian, he struck her head with a hammer and dug a grave for her. When the ground became too hard to dig deeper, he buried Molly's body and rested her head on a cushion above ground. Then he went to dinner with his daughter at a Chinese restaurant.

He returned to find the police at his house. Long told them he thought the dog was dead, and asked police to shoot her. The police officers present refused.

Molly was taken to an Oregon Humane Society facility, which determined that she was beyond saving and put her down. Veterinarians there found that Molly showed signs of long-term malnutrition and had not eaten for four to five days at the time of her death. In addition, she was suffering from a skin disease that had been left untreated for at least a year.

"There's no disputing that the case, on its face, is horrific," said Long's defense attorney, Donald J. Watt, who explained that Long grew up at a time when pet owners euthanized their animals without veterinarians.

"That's what was done in those days," he said. "He is not an evil person. He did something that he felt needed to be done."

Watt requested that Long, who pleaded guilty to animal abuse in January, be sentenced to community service instead of jail time so that he could spend time with his wife, who is in poor health. He added that Long has received angry letters and death threats.

Long's daughter, Susan Johnson, was sentenced in December to 90 days in jail for animal neglect.

Judge Rick Knapp called the situation "appalling" and sentenced Long to 120 days in jail, with two years of formal probation and 100 hours of community service to follow. In addition, Long was forbidden to own, control or possess any animals.

"I would not empathize with anything about your situation at all," he told Long. "What you did was monstrous and barbaric."

-- Megan Crepeau; megancrepeau@news.oregonian.com