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GREENSBORO – The man who admitted to beating and setting fire to a dog in August pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges Monday.

Lashawn Whitehead will serve six to eight months for the crime. The dog, named Susie, was in the Guilford County Courtroom along with dozens of her supporters.

"You can also see that her ears are obviously permanently gone as a result of the fire," Chris Parrish, Guilford County assistant district attorney, said.

Parrish read the statement Whitehead gave to police about the crime. He told authorities he was angry at the dog because it licked his baby.

"I held the dog down for 15 minutes and put the lighter fluid on its back. I lit the dog's fur on fire with the matches. The dog caught on fire and started to run. I went inside and got a jug of water and tried to put it out but it kept running. The dog ran into the woods and I never saw it again," Parrish read.

Susie was burned on over 60 percent of her body. She was found in a Greensboro park, covered in maggots.

Whitehead's lawyer, Randle Jones, expressed his client's remorse for the crime.

"He wants to tell everyone he is sorry. He is sorry for what he did to the dog. He is sorry for what he has put the people that are here through," Jones said.

The judge sentenced Whitehead to six to eight months for burning Susie. Her new owner, Donna Lawrence, said that's just not enough.

"I think there needs to be stiffer laws for animal cruelty. I think she was treated like a piece of personal property and she's got feelings and emotions and she's not personal property to me," Lawrence said.

She plans to rally state legislators for tougher animal cruelty laws.

"There's going to be a lot of angry people about this because people love this dog and they love animals and all the animal lovers out there will be totally upset about this," she said.

In a separate case, Whitehead also pleaded guilty and was sentenced for other charges Monday, including breaking and entering, larceny and taking indecent liberties with a minor. For all charges, he was sentenced to 21 to 26 months in jail, 48 months probation, fines and community service.