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NorCal woman gets 7 years in prison for setting sister’s dog on fire

A gavel is seen in a courtroom in this file photo. (Credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus)

A Northern California woman who set her sister’s dog on fire after the animals fought has been sentenced to seven years in prison, prosecutors said Friday.

Petra Gabriel pleaded guilty in April to multiple charges including felony animal cruelty, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.


Gabriel was arrested in July 2020.

Investigators said Gabriel’s dog got in a fight with her sister’s dog, Doody. After the women managed to separate the animals, Gabriel sprayed Doody with a flammable substance and then burned the dog with a butane torch, prosecutors said.

The dog suffered burns on its face and body but survived. The animal remains in a specialized medical foster home, will require a lifetime of medications and must wear a T-shirt at all times due to his extensive body burns, the DA’s statement said.

Gabriel has two prior convictions for using flammable substances, both in the course of a robbery and an assault, prosecutors said.