Michael Konschak, 61, of Carmel, New York, told a court in Danbury, Connecticut, that he was ashamed of what he had done back in November.

He said: "Please know that it was never my intent that morning to harm the victims' pets."

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, police said Konschak killed the dogs with a crossbow on 18 November after they escaped from the Caviola family's garden.

He had been hunting deer nearby and said he killed what he thought were two coyotes - something which is legal in Connecticut.

Erin Caviola said she and her family had searched for their 10-year-old pet dogs - a male named Cimo and a female named Lieben - for weeks after they went missing.

It is thought that a bear had torn down part of the six-foot fence that enclosed her property, allowing the dogs to escape.

Ms Caviola said she did not know the dogs' fate until almost a month later when she found out photos of them had been shared with a taxidermist, who was asked to preserve them.

She said the family was heartbroken, adding: "We live with the emotional pain as we think about what they felt in their final moments lying beside each other dying."

'An accident'

She said the dogs' heads had been removed and are still missing.

Konschak's lawyer Brian Romano said his client had skinned what he thought were the coyotes for their pelts and that the dogs' deaths were an accident.

Konschak was arrested in February on charges including tampering with evidence, forgery, interfering with a law enforcement officer and hunting-related violations.

Animal rights advocates call for more charges

Animal rights advocates, some of whom were in court for his hearing, have called for animal cruelty charges to be added to the list.

Danbury State's Attorney David Applegate said more charges are possible, telling the court there were inconsistencies in Konschak's story and asking how he could not see the animals were dogs before skinning them.

Konschak, a respiratory therapist and air force veteran, will reappear in court next month.