A Rayland man will serve 18 months in jail after he admitted he intentionally beat a puppy to death with a lead pipe while he was robbing a home.

Neil Rager, 22, pleaded guilty on Monday to breaking and entering, receiving stolen property and animal cruelty.

In May, Norman Taylor came back to his Bloomingdale home to discover someone had beaten his beagle puppy to death and had stolen an ATV and chainsaw.

In court, Rager said he beat the puppy because it wouldn't stop barking, then said he realized the animal was suffering so he beat it to death to put it out of its misery.

Assistant Jefferson County Prosecutor Jeff Bruzzese said Rager received the maximum penalty allowed by law. The receiving stolen property conviction held the most weight in the sentencing.

The puppy was given to Taylor as a gift from his father, who planned to train it to hunt and take it on father-son hunting trips.

Rager previously served two years in prison for a past felonious assault charge.

Stay with NEWS9 and WTOV9.com for continuing coverage as details become available.

-Renee Cardelli & Jackie Cain, NEWS9