An ISU zoology professor was found guilty of animal neglect on Tuesday.

Joseph Viles, associate professor of zoology, appeared in the Ames City Hall Courtroom on charges of animal neglect. He was accused of beating Sweetheart, his six-month-old female malamute, while she sat in his car on Chamberlain Street on May 11.

“I never hit the dog,” Viles testified on Tuesday.

Judge Stephen VanMarel said although no witness could see the dog being beaten, “the evidence clearly establishes Mr. Viles hit his dog.”

VanMarel imposed a 30-day suspended sentence, a $500 fine and no more than one year probation. VanMarel also said Viles is no longer allowed to own or maintain dogs in the state of Iowa.

The prosecution’s first witness was Brian Sorenson, lieutenant at the Ames Fire Department. Sorenson said he saw a “sixty-ish adult male with a gray beard” begin to hit the dog.

“I could hear the dog yelping from inside the fire station,” Sorenson said. “It was the high-pitched yelp of a dog in pain.”

He said there were no windows or doors open in the fire station when he heard the dog.

Sorenson said he witnessed Viles hit the dog three or four times, pause, then hit the dog again, then repeat the action at least three more times.

“His body and arm would rotate back and come down where the dog was sitting,” Sorenson said. “I cringed and wondered what the dog did to deserve that.”

Sorenson said he left the fire station and went to the car where Viles was sitting.

“I said, `Stop beating that dog,’ and he said, `OK, OK,'” he said.

Mark Greiner, Viles’ attorney, said this response was not an admission of guilt.

Sorenson said he wrote down the license plate number and told Viles he was calling the police.

“By the time I made the phone call, he was gone,” he said.

In cross examination, Sorenson said he did not actually see Viles’ hand touch the dog and could not identify the specific dog in a photo lineup.

Viles has bred malamutes for 15 years. He said Sweetheart was in town for a showing because she hadn’t been sold. He gave the dog away. Viles said his actions were dominance displays for disciplinary purposes, because the dog tried to jump out of the car.

“Puppies respond to dominance displays,” Viles said. Some of these displays include nipping, lifting the lips, baring the teeth and growling at the puppy.

“I get down in the dog’s face and literally bring my face right up in the puppy’s face,” Viles said.

Viles said he was swinging his arms around, but was making contact with the seat on the passenger side of the car.

“I screw my face up into a grimace that would scare an innocent child,” Viles said. “I force the puppy to submit. They, of course, scream.”

Viles said he does not hit dogs for disciplinary purposes.

“If you strike them, they think you’re playing, unless you inflict pain,” Viles said. “It is very unappetizing for me to do that.”

“I don’t think it takes an expert witness to tell if the dog is yelping in pain or out of boredom,” said VanMarel, the judge.

He said because this is Viles’ first animal neglect charge of beating a dog, the sentence would be suspended.

“I think the judge did an appropriate thing with the probation and no more ownership,” said Lorna Lavender, supervisor of Ames Animal Shelter and Animal Control. “This was a reasonable sentence and appropriate for the incident.”