A veterinarian who refused to return a dog to a homeless man after finding the ailing pit bull mix tied to a truck was convicted of theft Friday in western Michigan.

Amanda Hergenreder took the dog on a two-hour drive to her clinic, where she cleared up a severe urinary tract infection and removed a rotten tooth last November. She named him Biggby, after a nearby coffee shop, and said the 16-year-old dog was thriving while living with her.

But prosecutors filed a misdemeanor larceny charge after Hergenreder refused to bring the dog back to Chris Hamilton, a Grand Rapids man who lacked a permanent home at the time. She cited her ethical duties as a veterinarian and noted that the dog wasn't licensed.

Despite the controversy, Hergenreder told jurors that she would do it all again “in a he

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