Animal rights organisations are welcoming the sentencing of a Mississippi man who restrained a pregnant pit bull and sexually assaulted her.

Timothy Sanders, 32, from Escatawpa – approximately 180 miles south of Jackson – admitted guilt to felony charges of animal cruelty and committing unnatural acts with a dog. A relative of Sanders reported the offence after discovering Sanders restraining the dog and sexually abusing her in October 2024.

Circuit Judge Calvin Taylor handed Sanders a 10-year sentence for committing unnatural acts with the dog. He also received three years for animal cruelty, with both sentences to be served concurrently.

Sanders will spend 18 months behind bars, with a further eight and a half years suspended should he breach his probation upon release.

Additionally, the judge mandated that Sanders register as a sex offender for life. Prior to sentencing, In Defence of Animals, an animal protection organisation, revealed that Jackson County Assistant District Attorney Bill Barrett and District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath received calls from more than 13,356 animal rights campaigners demanding justice in the matter.

“Barrett did more than argue a case on paper,” the organisation stated. “He visited the mother dog when she gave birth, showed her kindness, and even considered adopting her or one of her puppies.”

The organisation applauded the prosecution’s determination to secure justice for the dog, also referred to as Baby Girl.

The group stated that both Barrett and McIlrah are “vital allies in the fight to end animal cruelty.”

Barrett paid a visit to Baby Girl following the birth of her litter, and contemplated adopting one of her pups if they remained unclaimed.

A woman from Mississippi was handed a four-year prison sentence for a comparable offence after sexually abusing her dogs and even broadcasting the abuse on the internet. Denise Nicole Frazier received her sentence, including five years of probation, on Jan. 24, 2025.

Should she breach the terms of her probation, she faces an additional six years’ imprisonment on top of the existing four-year sentence.

In Mississippi, whilst animal protection legislation is less thorough than in other states, it covers the fundamental forms of abuse and neglect. State law affords greater protection to dogs and cats than to other animals.

In 2024, the state was ranked amongst the five states with the most inadequate animal protection laws. “There is a large gap between the legal protections for animals that people think exist – or think should exist – and the laws that are actually on the books,” said Animal Legal Defense Fund Senior Staff Attorney Kathleen Wood.

“Regardless of rank, every state and territory has room for improvement. Our Rankings Report highlights the ways each of these jurisdictions can strengthen their laws to ensure that all animals receive the protections they need and deserve.”