This browser does not support the Video element.
Minnesota kennel owner charged in dog's death
A dog owner in Mora is looking for justice after her German wiredhaired pointer died while in training at a kennel.
HILLMAN TOWNSHIP, Minn. - A Kanabec County jury acquitted a kennel owner on Wednesday of an animal abuse charge related to the 2023 death of a German wirehaired pointer.
Kennel owner acquitted
The backstory:
Edward Erickson was charged with one felony count of overworking or mistreating animals under a torture provision. The charge stemmed from a dog, Evie, that reportedly died in July 2023 while undergoing training at Autumn Breeze Kennel.
Kristina Ringold previously told FOX 9 she brought Evie to the kennel and received a disturbing video from the trainer, Erickson, a few days later. The video shows Evie tied to a cage by her neck and hind end, high enough that her feet can't reach the ground.
"He had an e-collar in his hand, so I am assuming at that time, he was shocking her, and she was climbing or trying to get away," Ringold previously explained.
Ringold was out of town at the time and couldn’t pick up her dog right away. A few days later, she got a text that Evie had a heart attack and had died. The dog owner said a necropsy was done the next day, and said the results showed her heart was fine, but suggested she died of asphyxiation, secondary to strangulation.
According to court records, Erickson went to trial from Sept. 16 to Sept. 17, and he was found not guilty by a jury on the charge.
The Source: This story uses previous FOX 9 reporting and Kanabec County court records.