Hillsboro, Mo. ? A St. Louis-area dog handler has been sentenced to two years of probation for leaving eight show dogs inside a hot van overnight, killing seven of the animals.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 25-year-old Mary Wild was also ordered Thursday to serve 80 hours of community service at the Jefferson County animal control center and must write a 750-word essay on what she should have done to care for the dogs properly.

Wild was found guilty last month of eight counts of misdemeanor animal abuse.

Wild left the dogs inside a van in the driveway of her Arnold home after returning from a dog show in Iowa in June 2009. She told police she set up fans and opened a door and windows.

Authorities say temperatures in the van may have reached 120 degrees.