We are heartbroken to share that a Kanabec County jury acquitted dog trainer Edward Erickson in the death of Evie, a young German wirehaired pointer who died of asphyxiation during an outrageously brutal training session at Autumn Breeze Kennel.

Evie’s guardian, Kristina Ringold, had entrusted Erickson, a trainer since 1998, with Evie for a second training stay. On July 10, 2023, Ringold received a disturbing video from Erickson showing Evie in grave distress. Minutes later, Erickson called to say Evie had died of a heart attack.

According to the criminal complaint, the video shows Evie rolling upward and struggling while hanging upside down by leashes attached to the side of a kennel. The complaint also notes that Ringold saw an e-collar in Erickson’s hand and believed he was shocking Evie.

A necropsy the next day reported bloody toenails and fecal matter along Evie’s sides, consistent with a struggle. Hemorrhaging throughout her body indicated she died of asphyxiation, probably secondary to strangulation from a rope around her neck.

Erickson was not arrested until Dec. 12, 2023. Prosecutors charged one felony count of overworking or mistreating animals. His first court appearance was Jan. 22, 2024; he was conditionally released with no contact with animals. On Sept. 17, 2025, a jury unbelievably acquitted him.

This verdict illustrates a systemic problem with animal abuse in the minds of many people in Minnesota. Even when prosecutors secure convictions (which did not happen in this case), Minnesota’s penalties for a first offense of torture or cruel mistreatment remain far too weak, with a maximum penalty of only up to one year in jail and a $3,000 fine. There’s clearly an urgent need to encourage empathy within the state, strengthen state law, ensure meaningful sentencing, require mental health evaluation and treatment when warranted, and prohibit convicted offenders from contact with animals.

Thank you to the 15,443 In Defense of Animals supporters who signed our letter urging the prosecutor to seek jail time and mental health intervention. Your compassion matters. Even when courts fail to deliver justice, your collective voice drives policy change that prevents the next tragedy.

What You Can Do Now:

• If you live in Minnesota, urge Minnesota lawmakers to strengthen current animal cruelty laws, including felony-level penalties for egregious abuse, mandatory mental health evaluation and treatment when appropriate, and lifetime animal-contact bans for severe offenders.
  
  www.idausa.org/FindMyRep
  
  
• Support our Justice for Animals work so we can keep pushing prosecutors, lawmakers, and judges to take cruelty seriously. If donating isn’t possible today, please sign and share our alerts. That advocacy is powerful, and we are always deeply grateful.
  
  
• Protect your companion by choosing force-free, fear-free trainers; avoid e-collars and other aversive methods; insist on transparency, consent-based handling, and guardian-present sessions.

Evie was a beloved family member. We honor her by fighting for laws that recognize what every guardian knows: dogs are someone. We will keep pushing for real accountability and safety for all animals.