SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Calling him a danger to society with narcissistic tendencies, a Superior Court judge yesterday sentenced a local man to two years in prison for shooting his pit bull to death after it refused to come to him.

Edgar Goulet, 60, received two years in prison for maliciously killing his 3-year-old dog, Sparky, after it ran away from him two years ago. In addition, Judge Stephen P. Nugent sentenced Goulet to 10 years, with two to serve concurrently with the first count, for possession of a sawed-off shotgun. The remaining eight years are suspended with probation.

“There is no doubt in this court’s mind this defendant is a danger to the community,” Nugent said.

Goulet has been held at the Adult Correctional Institutions since a Washington County Superior Court jury found him guilty of both counts in May.

Prosecutors say Goulet’s neighbor, Heidi Eklund, was raking leaves May 1, 2006, when Sparky ran into her yard followed by Goulet, who threatened to kill the dog. Eklund pleaded with Goulet not to hurt the animal as he led it back to 20 Nautilus Drive East.

Eklund heard Goulet start up a backhoe, followed by a gunshot and then saw a puff of smoke, according to Special Assistant Attorney General Mark Trovato. Sparky streaked by, prompting Eklund to tell her mother to call the police.

Detectives unearthed Sparky’s body, after getting a search warrant, from a fresh mound of dirt with a dog tag next to it.

In addition to the .22-caliber rifle the police say Goulet used to shoot the dog, officers found a sawed-off shotgun tucked into his couch and rounds of ammunition inside the house, reports show. A bullet found inside the dog’s body could not be matched to the rifle because it was too damaged. The dog had been shot in the left side and between the eyes.

Before his sentencing Goulet apologized to the court and cried as he told of his ongoing struggles with mental illness and posttraumatic stress disorder since his service in the Vietnam War.

“Please, forgive me for that act,” he said.

Nugent yesterday scolded Goulet for what he viewed as using his military service as an excuse to seek special treatment and for failing to be a productive member of the community. Nugent said Goulet’s pre-sentencing report, which said he failed to take responsibility for his actions, was the worst he’d seen in 35 years.

“We’d have anarchy if everybody who served this country thought they were above the law,” Nugent said.

Contrary to representations that he had been honorably discharged after a single tour, Nugent said Goulet had a general discharge and had been court-martialed. Plus, he had broken federal law by possessing an “arsenal” of guns and ammunition after a court order was issued in 1993 barring him from contacting his ex-wife, Nugent said.

The judge rejected a motion for a new trial before sentencing. Nugent also ordered Goulet to undergo outpatient mental-health counseling, to forfeit all his weapons, and to perform 500 hours of community service. The judge gave Goulet credit for time served.

Goulet’s lawyer, Paul J. DiMaio, said he planned to appeal.

Dennis Tabella, director of Defenders of Animals, praised the sentence and Trovato’s work for the attorney general’s office.

“Over the years, people who have been cruel to animals have gotten off too lightly,” he said.

Community service, he said, is not enough.

kmulvane@projo.com