Dog walker Emma Paulsen will spend six months in jail for leaving six dogs to die in the sweltering heat of her truck last May, a judge ruled Wednesday.

She will also be placed on probation for two years, prohibited from owning pets for 10 years, and banned for life from caring for other people's animals.

Many of the owners of the six dogs were in the Surrey courtroom as the sentence was handed down.

Some could be seen crying as the judge listed the names of their deceased pets and described Paulsen’s crimes. There was applause in the gallery as she was taken into custody and one spectator was heard saying “You’re the best judge.”

Jennifer Myers, one of the dog owners, said she was “very relieved” to hear Paulsen would serve jail time.

“You can’t take away what they went through, but at least this shows that, yes, it was serious, and the judge really took it that way,” a tearful Myers said outside of Surrey Supreme Court. “I think that we’re all a little surprised and relieved that it’s six months.”

Prior to the sentencing, the judge asked Paulsen if she wanted to express remorse or apologize for her actions. She declined, saying “Not at this time, thank you,” and the judge mentioned her silence in his reasons for sentencing.

Paulsen pleaded guilty in November to two charges stemming from the incident: one count of causing an animal to be in distress and one count of reporting a false offence to police. Four other charges were stayed.

The Crown had sought a sentence of six months to one year in jail, a $5,000 to $10,000 fine, a lifetime ban on caring for other people’s pets and a 10-year ban on owning pets.

Paulsen initially reported to police that the dogs had been stolen from her truck while she used a washroom at the Brookswood dog park in Langley.

The dogs’ bodies were later found dumped in a ditch in Abbottsford, and RCMP say Paulsen admitted to making up the story about them being stolen.