KENAI — A Soldotna man will spend about six months in jail for beating a dog to death.

The Peninsula Clarion reported Samuel Stroer was sentenced to a yea, but the judge Friday suspended 180 days of that sentence. He will also serve four years probation after changing his plea to guilty in the animal cruelty case. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the charge from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Alaska State Troopers say Stroer beat the male lab-pitbull mix named Paco to death with a piece of metal and a 2-by-4 after the dog became aggressive. The incident started as Stroer tried to put the dog in a bedroom and away from another dog.

Stroer’s defense attorney said it was a case of self-defense.

But Judge Carl Bauman said it crossed over to a crime after Stroer continued the beating once the dog was inside the bedroom.