A 19-year-old in Didsbury, Alta., entered a surprise guilty plea Wednesday on a charge of willfully causing injury to an animal, after a dog was dragged behind a car last fall and found barely alive.

Daniel Haskett had been scheduled to begin trial in Didsbury on Wednesday after entering a plea of not guilty in December 2006.

Haskett and a 17-year-old, who can not be named due to his age, were charged after a Labrador retriever-collie cross named Daisy Duke was found bleeding on a road in October 2006, its muzzle and legs bound with duct tape and a tow rope around its neck.

Police accused the pair of putting a plastic bag over the dog's head, dragging it behind the car and hitting it over the head with a shovel. The animal was wounded so severely that it had to be euthanized by a veterinarian.

Police said the dog was Haskett's family pet.

Haskett has been ordered to undergo a psychological assessment before a sentencing hearing on Aug. 1.

The 17-year-old has already been sentenced to house arrest and probation.

The case attracted widespread attention. At earlier hearings, crowds of as many as 100 people from across the province gathered outside the courthouse, heckling and jeering at Haskett.

With files from the Canadian Press