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Indiana woman ordered to pay $4,000 for abandoning her dog

ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) – A central Indiana woman who pleaded guilty to animal abandonment for dumping her dog outside an animal shelter has been ordered to pay $4,000 in restitution.

An Anderson city judge on Friday suspended Shannon L. Harshman’s one-year jail sentence, but gave her 180 days to pay $4,000 for food, boarding and veterinary bills the dog required after its abandonment.

The Herald Bulletin reports Harshman took her pit bull, Nina, to the Animal Protection League’s animal shelter after hours in June 2014, opened the door to her vehicle, let the dog out and drove away.

Volunteers spent more than 15 hours over the next three days before finally catching the dog, which by then was suffering from dehydration amid 90-degree heat.

Nina remains at the shelter, awaiting a new owner.