ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – An Abilene man was sentence to probation for animal cruelty after a bloody dog was found in his backyard during a search warrant execution last year.

David Kelsey pleaded guilty to Animal Cruelty Friday and received 3 years of probation for the crime.

Court documents state that on August 7, Abilene police officers executed a search warrant on Kelsey’s home with hopes of finding evidence related to an undisclosed street crime. 

While on Kelsey’s property, the documents state two officers saw a large dog bleeding from it’s nose in the backyard.

“Blood covered the dog’s lower front legs, its muzzle, and mouth,” the documents reveal.

The dog was also tethered to the porch with minimal room to move and no food and water, according to the documents, which state the only shelter present was a table and old door. 

Documents state Kelsey kept changing his story when questioned, first saying he had no idea why his dog was bleeding then claiming he didn’t have any money to take the dog to the vet – a claim which the documents state investigators were later able to prove false.

The dog was removed from Kelsey’s property and examined by a vet, who diagnosed the dog with a severe case of heart worms that had been infecting the dog for at least a year and rated the dog a 2 out of 9 on the emaciation scale, according to the documents.