AUSTIN — A southeastern Minnesota man has pleaded not guilty to charges he shot and killed his neighbor’s dog in March.

Eighty-five-year-old Everett Kabage of rural Spring Valley pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony animal cruelty.

According to the complaint, the owner of the 2-year-old yellow Labrador let the dog outside and later realized it had crossed over its electronic barrier. The homeowner said he found the dog in a field with a blood trail leading back to Kabage’s yard and called authorities.

A deputy who spoke with Kabage said he apparently had been drinking at the time and acknowledged shooting the dog with a .22-caliber rifle.

Kabage offered no explanation for shooting the dog other than it was on his property.