VANCOUVER -- A man accused of beating his girlfriend's dog in 2016 pleaded guilty in a Vancouver courtroom Monday, in what BC SPCA calls a "disturbing" case of animal cruelty.
John David McCordic has been slapped with a $4,000 fine and sentenced to a seven year ban on owning or being in control of any animals, following an investigation by the SPCA.
The animal welfare agency was alerted of the incident on May 18, 2016, when security footage captured the brutal attack in an underground parking garage of a building on East Hastings Street.
"This poor animal was clearly in such pain and distress, and was helpless to escape her attacker,” said Eileen Drever, of the BC SPCA, in a news release.
Drever added that the dog, a Bouvier des Flandres named Bear, was 11 years old at the time and was already blind and partially deaf.
The SPCA said the surveillance video shows McCordic repeatedly lifting the dog several feet into the air and then slamming her down onto the concrete.
He can also be seen stomping on Bear's paws and head, kicking her in the face and then laughing.
"I think one of the cruelest parts of the video is that he would start to pet her and she would be encouraged and would come to him, only to have the beatings begin again," said Drever.
Bear survived the attack and was taken in by the SPCA to receive emergency treatment for her injuries. She was adopted into a new home shortly after, where she got to live out her final days.
"She lived an amazing life surrounded by love for four years, before she passed away peacefully earlier this year at the age of 15," said Drever.
