(SIOUX CITY, IA) - As a Sioux City man accused of killing his dog appeared in court Thursday, animal activists called for tougher animal abuse punishments.

Bobby Loggins, charged with Animal Torture pleaded not guilty. Police say he punched his American Bulldog more than 30 times in the face on June 9th. That charge is an aggravated misdemeanor which carries a sentence of up to two years in prison and a $6,000 fine.

"I believe that they should have a felony against it," said Rosie Zastrow, an employee at the Siouxland Humane Society. 

Humane Society Executive Director Jerry Dominicak says, "We're hoping for the maximum, but we would like to see the animal laws in Iowa be stronger." Dominicak and his staff have given out thousands of flyers asking people to flood the Woodbury County Attorney's office with letters. "The citizens in Sioux City and the Siouxland area need their voices to be heard," he said.

Amanda Gardner with Pit Bulls For Justice says countless animal abuse cases go unnoticed in Siouxland, filling shelters and Animal Control. "This happens in Siouxland more often than not. They're so emaciated that I don't think they've seen food in days. In this case we're just lucky that there were witnesses," she said, referring to charges against Loggins.

Her group will push the city of Sioux City to create tougher ordinances that ban convicted abusers from owning any animal, ever again.

Loggins' pre-trial hearing will be July 21st.

A group of concerned Siouxland residents will host a public memorial for "Sire," the dead bulldog at Bacon Creek Dog Park on Monday, June 29th. It will begin at 7 p.m.

To learn more about Amanda Gardner's Pit Bulls For Justice Group, follow this link.

Reported by Jeremy Maskel. You can reach Jeremy at jmaskel@kmeg.com.