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A pair sentenced in the abandonment of more than 31 husky-type dogs must repay a local animal welfare organization for the cost of their care and medical treatment. Also at the hearing, Magistrate Judge Tera Harden denied a motion by Jacob M. McCowan, 45, asking the court to reconsider his sentence.
A couple charged in the abandonment of 31 Husky-type dogs will serve time in jail after being sentenced in Bonner County Magistrate Court on Friday. Jacob M. McCowan, 45, and Jessica L. Smurthwaite, 31, were charged in late January with abandoning 31 dogs in southwestern Bonner County, parts of Kootenai County and in Pend Oreille County, Wash. Plea agreements were later reached with both in the case, dropping the number of charges against McCowan to 10 and the number of charges against Smurthwaite to two since the extent of her involvement could not be determined.