Woman convicted of stealing, euthanizing man’s dog

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A western Pennsylvania woman has been convicted of stealing a neighbor’s dog and having it euthanized.

An Allegheny County jury today convicted 58-year-old Gisele Paris of Pittsburgh of theft, receiving stolen property and cruelty to animals.

Prosecutors said Paris took a Siberian husky named Thor on Thanksgiving 2013 because she believed that the dog was being neglected, despite assurances to the contrary from a humane officer.

The owner, who is diagnosed with stage 3 esophageal cancer, says the dog had health problems but wasn’t suffering.

Police said Paris paid a veterinarian to euthanize the dog in February. Prosecutors said she did that to “destroy the evidence” of her crimes.

Defense attorney Robert Mielnicki argued that his client may have been misguided but that doesn’t mean she was malicious.