ohmidog!

A Colorado dog trainer accused of punching his own dog and shoving her head through wallboard was sentenced yesterday to a month in prison and two years probation.

Ryan Matthews, 30, of Loveland, will also be required to undergo mental-health treatment and refrain from having contact with dogs during his probationary period, according to the Denver Post.

He was originally charged with felony aggravated cruelty to animals, but under the terms of a plea agreement with prosecutors, approved by a Larimer County District Court judge,  it was reduced to a misdemeanor.

Matthews, according to the website of his former business,  Off Leash Dog Training, spent six years in the U.S. Army military police, where he trained bomb- and drug-sniffing dogs.

One of Matthews’ employees contacted the Larimer Humane Society in July to report that Matthews had abused his Belgian malinois, named Montage.

According to the arrest affidavit, Matthews shoved Montage’s muzzled head through wallboard, body-slammed her by the neck and punched her in the face. A surveillance video corroborated the employee’s claim, police said.

Montage and another malinois owned by Matthews were relinquished to the Larimer Humane Society and have been adopted out to new homes.