Jake Daniels / AP

Keith Dane, center, representative for the Humane Society of the United States, and Joe Tydings, right, a former senator from Maryland who authored the original Horse Protection Act in 1970, speak to the media on the steps of the federal courthouse, Tuesday.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Former Tennessee walking horse hall of fame trainer Jackie McConnell was fined $75,000 and sentenced to three years’ probation in federal court on Tuesday for using a banned and abusive practice on show horses that involving putting caustic chemicals on their ankles.

McConnell faced 52 counts of transporting and showing abused horses and had pleaded guilty in May to a single charge of animal cruelty in an agreement with prosecutors that called for probation and a fine.

U.S. District Judge Harry Mattice Jr. accepted McConnell's plea, imposing the fine, which could have been up to $250,000, and probation at a federal court hearing in Chattanooga on Tuesday. McConnell faced up to five years in prison if the agreement had not been accepted.

McConnell was required by the court to write a letter about the soring of horses, the pain it causes and the long-term effects, The Chattanoogan said. He was also asked to say how widespread soring is in the letter.

McConnell was banned for life from the Tennessee Walking Horse organization's biggest event and stricken from its hall of fame along with written and photographic mentions after ABC News showed the video in May of him abusing horses.

Secretly filmed
The federal charges stemmed from a banned practice called "soring" in which the front legs of walking horses, known for their high-stepping gait or “big lick,” are slathered with caustic chemicals to induce pain that causes them to kick even higher.

An animal rights activist working undercover in a horse barn secretly recorded McConnell and some colleagues abusing horses in March and April 2011. The video was used as a basis for the prosecution.

The video showed horses being beaten with wooden sticks and poked with electric cattle prods. The horses' ankles were covered with caustic chemicals and then wrapped with plastic to increase their pain.

Keith Dane, director of equine protection for the Humane Society of the United States, said he wanted a tougher sentence but that McConnell's case still would send a message that soring would not be tolerated.

"It was our hope that McConnell would do prison time for these terrible crimes but there are gaps in the federal law that need to be strengthened," Dane said.

On its website, the Human Society said a federal bill had been been introduced by Representatives Ed Whitfield, a Kentucky Republican, and Steve Cohen, a Democract from Tennessee, that would amend the Horse Protection Act "to end the failed system of industry self-policing, ban the use of certain devices, strengthen penalties, and make other needed reforms to finally end this torture."

Dane told The Chattanoogan that McConnell "has shown no remorse. For decades his income was based on the torture of horses."

Former Senator Joseph Tydings, the sponsor of the Horse Protection Act in 1970, told the paper that horse owners in Tennessee and Kentucky had for decades "tortured horses by altering them with a phony gait that is based on violent cruelty to the horses. In Tennessee, the officials have known what is going on, but they have done nothing about this ‘big lick.’”

"It's been about the culture, the money, the celebration. They don't give a d*** about the poor horses,” he added.

Two other men pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in the case and were sentenced to probation as well.

Reuters contributed to this report.

More content from NBCNews.com:

• Killer who targeted sex offenders sentenced to life in prison
• US Muslims walk tightrope, denounce both violence and Islam film
• Comrade killed soldier with rocket launcher, victim's mom says
• How the Romney video leaked: For Carters, it was personal
• Medal peddlers: Thriving Purple Heart market has fans and foes
• Tornado watches for NYC, other areas along East Coast
• Chicago teachers set to vote on proposed contract
• Convicted Ohio killer: I'm too obese to be executed

Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

A black Labrador Retriever that was found with a plastic jar stuck around his head and cuts to one of his paws is doing well after surgery, according to volunteers from a North Texas animal group.

Animal Allies of Texas

Because the jar prevented him from eating or drinking, rescuers said Pappy was severely malnourished and underweight when they took him in.

Rescuers suspect someone cut the animal's paw so his blood would attract other dogs being trained to fight, and the jar kept him from fighting back.

After receiving a call from a woman who found the dog, now named "Pappy," wandering the streets of Oak Cliff, Texas, rescuers from Animal Allies of Texas were able to catch him on Monday and take him to the vet.

Pappy had fleas and ticks and was severely dehydrated and emaciated when he was found. Rescuers said the jar prevented him from eating or drinking, and he weighed 65 lbs. when he should have weighed 90 lbs.

In addition to the jar, rescuers said Pappy had bite marks on him, which they say are evidence he may have been used as a bait dog in a dog-fighting ring.

Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter   

“This was deliberate. The bottom of the jar had been cut out so he would not be able to get out himself,” an Animal Allies of Texas volunteer, Melody Hamilton, told NBC News. “In my opinion, he was thrown into a situation where he was made to provoke another dog to fight.”

Animal Allies of Texas

After removing the jar, veterinarians had to amputate one of Pappy's toes that had been badly injured

Rescuers removed the jar, and on Wednesday, the lab-mix had surgery at Metro Paws Animal Hospital to amputate the first toe on his left paw. Hamilton said she suspects Pappy will stay there for a few more days to recover.

Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com

Hamilton said as Pappy’s physical condition stabilizes, vets and volunteers will shift their focus to his emotional state.

“Dog fighting is rampant in all socio-economic areas,” Hamilton said. “Lucky for him, he escaped that situation. Now it’s a matter of dealing with all of the emotional distress.”

After Pappy has had all of his medical treatment, Animal Allies of Texas will be looking for someone to adopt him.

They are currently accepting donations to help with Pappy’s hospital bills.

Elvira Sakmari of NBC Dallas-Ft. Worth contributed to this report.

Animal Allies of Texas

More content from NBCNews.com:

• Man accused of NYC gun rampage was loner, cat lover
• Ex-Navy SEAL in legal jeopardy for book on bin Laden raid
• Faith in Army's direction falls to all-time low, survey shows
• Video: Woman walks straight off train platform
• Embattled tanning industry fights back, taking cues from Big Tobacco
• California school district sued over abstinence-only sex ed

Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

MOORE HAVEN, Florida - A teenager lost his right arm below the elbow in an alligator attack while swimming in the Caloosahatchee River, according to officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

FWC's Jorge Pino says the 11-foot gator was found and killed Monday evening after the attack that happened in the water near River Road, southwest of US-27, close to Lake Okeechobee.

Officials say the arm was found inside the gator.

"This area isn't Disneyland. It's right next to Lake O and there are thousands of alligators here," said FWC Captain Jeff Ardelean.

The victim, 17-year-old Kaleb Langdale, was flown to Lee Memorial Hospital after the attack. The arm was sent to the hospital, but friends said doctors were not able to reattach the limb.

Friends who were with Langdale at the time of the attack said they were not taunting the animal.

"It ended up being about a 10-and-a-half-foot gator who came straight at him. It came at him and he put his arm in the way instead of letting it get to his body. It took his arm and him under," said friend Matt Baker.

Read the full story at NBC 2 Florida

Another friend, Gary Beck, said Langdale popped out of the water shortly after the attack.

"He was waving saying, 'Call the paramedics! My arm is gone!'" Beck described.

"It was scary. I couldn't believe it was real at the moment," Baker added.

FWC officials said it was a dangerous time of year for swimming because alligator mating season means attacks are not uncommon.

"Any type of splash in the water is prey for them," Captain Ardelean said.

Beck and Baker said Langdale was in good spirits. They said he was just happy the gator got his right arm instead of his left because that is what he uses to steer his airboat.

NBC-2 is based in Fort Myers, Florida.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

• Feeling the heat: First half of 2012 is warmest on record
• More charges in 'Fast and Furious' border agent slaying
• Detroit police chief: Fatal shooting after hug was accident
• Family: Man holding fake gun, but police shoot him
• Marine doing 1 million push-ups to help wounded vets
• Video: Scott Peterson appealing murder conviction

Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook

A young steer who broke out of a slaughterhouse in northern New Jersey, swam across a river and ran through city streets, was being taken Wednesday to an animal sanctuary in New York where a “comfy straw bed” awaited him.

The black-and-white steer was rescued by a volunteer with the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary who picked him up Wednesday morning after tracking down the slaughterhouse, said Jenny Brown, a co-founder of the nonprofit center in south-central New York.

The animal appeared to be a cross between an Angus and a Holstein, and a veterinarian, who was required to inspect the steer so he could be legally transported across state lines, gave him antibiotics, she said. He  seemed to be shaken up and was pretty banged-up from his escape, including having a problem with his back leg.

“We can give him a comfy straw bed and put him in a safe place where he is going to be loved and respected,” Brown said, noting that he was likely being used as a beef cow and would have ended up as steak on dinner plates.

The steer’s adventure began late Tuesday night, when he fled the slaughterhouse and went careening through the streets of Paterson, said the city’s chief animal control officer, John DeCando.

Mike Stura / Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

'Mike' the steer escaped a New Jersey slaughterhouse and is seen here in a trailer on his way to the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

“It was unbelievable. It was like ‘Dodge City,’” he said, noting that after escaping, the steer came across basketball courts, where he “stopped for a minute,” then he jumped into the Passaic River and swam across to the other side.

“You had to see the spectators -- people were rooting for the cow,” he said.

As police and animal control attempted to corral him, the steer escaped once more. At one point, he ran into a police car, but no one was injured in the escapade, DeCando said.

Finally, DeCando managed to tranquilize him, and within four minutes the animal was asleep and snoring like a “newborn.”

It's not clear how the steer got out, but DeCando said he figured the animal knew what was in store for him.

But instead, the steer’s “long run, long haul” had a “happy ending,” DeCando said.

“The owner of the slaughterhouse guaranteed me, and also the officers, that that cow deserves to live, and, yes, he does. So the cow is going to a farm. He’ll live out the rest of his life,” he said, adding that was why the slaughterhouse owner was not charged in the incident.

Under an intense media spotlight, such escapees can often end up going to a farm only temporarily or even be sent off to another slaughterhouse, said Brown, noting that was why they wanted to reach out to make sure the animal has a good home.

“There is this phenomenon in our society when, where one gets away, everyone wants to cheer for that one animal, yet you might go home and eat … an animal just like that one that night and never put any thought to it,” said Brown, whose group rescues animals that have escaped abuse, neglect or the food industry. “That’s what’s wrong with our industrialized food system, is that it’s completely out of sight and out of mind.”

The steer has been named Mike, after the volunteer who rescued him, Brown said.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

• Boy, 6, accidentally killed in dad's wood chipper
• Prosecutor to release new info in Trayvon Martin shooting
• 5-year-old boy brings heroin to kindergarten
• 3 school workers are winners of Mega Millions jackpot in Md.
• Breastfeeding now a civil right in Seattle

Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A dehydrated squirrel monkey died at a Harvard Medical School research facility in December, the third monkey to die at the New England Primate Research Center in 19 months.

The Boston Globe reports  that the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited Harvard for failures to comply with federal animal welfare regulations, including injuries to monkeys.

William Chin, executive dean for research at Harvard Medical School, told the newspaper that the incidents are unacceptable. He said problems with management systems and implementing basic procedures were found in a review in 2010.

Chin says new leaders are addressing the issues.

Harvard and agriculture officials say the Dec. 27 death and non-fatal dehydration of a second monkey was caused by employees' failure to check a malfunctioning water dispensing system.

Read more on boston.com

Another squirrel monkey’s leg was fractured in January, when it was caught under a door, according to the Boston Globe. Also, the newspaper reported that a group of rhesus macaques escaped from their pen in December, resulting in an injury to one monkey’s foot.

“They’ve had a tough stretch, and it’s certainly something that’s gotten our attention and we look forward to them correcting the situation,” David Sacks, a USDA spokesman, told the Boston Globe.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

• Police: RFK son arrested in NY maternity unit clash
• DA: Cop shoots police officer, then kills self
• Will you be allowed to vote? Battles rage over states' ID laws
• Which GOP candidate boasts most online buzz?