A Nevada man has been sentenced to up to 2 1/2 years in jail for killing his neighbor's puppy.

Daniel Thomas Wells earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of ``killing an animal of another'' in the beating death of the 6-month-old chihuahua in May.

Washoe County Deputy District Attorney Derek Dreiling says the case was elevated to felony status because there was evidence of malice. He says Wells had been drinking, had a bad day at work and ended up acting inappropriately when the neighbor's dog got on his nerves.

Wells was sentenced to 12 months to 30 months in jail, but Dreiling said if he's a model inmate, he may end up serving less than a year.