Seven months after the B.C. SPCA learned of the grisly slaughter of dozens of healthy sled dogs near Whistler, investigators have recommended criminal charges.

Marcie Moriarty, general manager for SPCA cruelty investigations, says that investigators handed their files over to Crown prosecutors earlier this week, and are recommending one charge of causing unnecessary pain and suffering against Robert Fawcett, the former manager of dog sled firm Outdoor Adventures.

"This is a huge relief for the constables that were involved in the investigation," Moriarty told ctvbc.ca.

"I know the constables involved feel proud of the work that was done and know that justice will be had for these dogs -- and that this will impact the welfare of live working dogs in this province."

She says that the investigators' report to Crown runs a few thousand pages, and she expects it will take prosecutors some time to work their way through the material and come to a final decision on charges.

The agency wrapped up its investigation last month, after unearthing the carcasses of 52 dogs. In a WorkSafe BC claim for post-traumatic stress disorder suffered after he killed the dogs, Fawcett claimed to have slaughtered between 75 and 100.

News of the slaughter made headlines around the world in January when those documents were leaked to the media. In his claim, Fawcett detailed how he shot or slit the throats of the dogs over a period of a few days, dumping their corpses into a mass grave.

He described chasing after a dog that survived a shot to the face, and climbing into the pit full of dog carcasses to finish off an animal he had believed to be dead already.

Moriarty said that investigating the gruesome slaughter has been a harrowing experience for SPCA constables, who are no strangers to the grisly details of animal cruelty cases.

"I know it impacted them on all levels of their lives," she said.

"Not only having to live it on site, when the actual excavation took place, but to spend countless hours and days sifting through the evidence ... takes a toll that really can't be put into words."

Exhuming the dogs cost the SPCA $250,000, with almost half the amount coming from a provincial grant. Work began in early May.

If charged and convicted, Fawcett faces a maximum jail sentence of five years or a $10,000 fine.