A man accused of setting fireworks on a porch to scare his dog gets to keep his pet, but he’ll have to pay a $500 fine.
Animal rights activists stood outside the Fulton County court building Tuesday as William Scaffidi pleaded no contest to animal cruelty charges, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Video showing Scaffidi lighting fireworks as his dog, Betty Boop, was on the porch surfaced earlier this month. In the video, filmed by Scaffidi's daughter, the dog runs to each side of the porch to avoid the fireworks.
Scaffidi said the video isn’t an accurate reflection of him.
“I regret that I did it for the fact that the dog was there,” Scaffidi said in court.
Protesters wanted a sterner sentencing, including Scaffidi’s rights to have an animal revoked.
“We want to send a message that this is not tolerated,” protester Melody Paris told Channel 2. “People don’t agree with this.”
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