GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (July 30, 2025) — In Defense of Animals applauds the sentencing of Colorado man Ryan Kieckhaefer, who was charged with animal cruelty for the ongoing extreme abuse of his mother’s 3-month-old puppy, Nova. 

Kieckhaefer will serve six years imprisonment. He is currently in custody and awaiting placement. In addition to his incarceration, he had been ordered to complete an extensive probation program that includes maintaining full-time employment, undergoing screening for brain injury, following cognitive behavioral therapy recommendations, engaging in pro-social activities, being monitored for substance abuse, maintaining full sobriety, earning his GED (equivalent to a high school diploma), completing anger management, obeying all laws, and having no contact with animals until all probation conditions are fulfilled. 

Last October, the Grand Junction Police Department received an anonymous tip and disturbing videos documenting the puppy’s abuse over a two-week period. Video footage showed him swinging the puppy around by the leash, hitting them, spraying them in the face with a hose, and breaking a tooth with pliers. An arrest warrant was issued the same day. Kieckhaefer was identified as the suspect, taken into custody, and charged with aggravated animal cruelty.

The current condition and whereabouts of the puppy have not been made public.

In Defense of Animals sent a letter to District Attorney Daniel P. Rubinstein with 18,277 signatures demanding maximum sentencing, urging him to present it to the judge for consideration during sentencing.

“This is one of the stronger sentences we have recently seen for animal cruelty. The judge not only determined the punishment for Kieckhaefer, but wisely set requirements of probation to ensure the well-being of society and the possibility of his potential to lead a productive and compassionate life,” said Doll Stanley, In Defense of Animals’ Justice for Animals Senior Campaigner. 

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Contact: Doll Stanley, Doll@idausa.org, (662) 809-4483

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a history of defending animals, people, and the environment through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, central California, and rural Mississippi, since 1983. www.idausa.org/justice4animals

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