Photo: BC SPCA

A Kelowna man faces charges of animal cruelty following an investigation conducted by the BC SPCA.

The charge was approved by Crown counsel March 3 against Zachary Petropolis.

He has already made one court appearance.

“We received a number of calls into the BC SPCA’s animal helpline about this individual abusing his dog,” said BC SPCA senior officer Eileen Drever.

“We initiated an investigation and were able to recommend charges when we received disturbing CCTV footage showing him putting his dog in a chokehold, slamming the dog onto the floor by the legs and then kicking the dog.”

Petropolis has been released with conditions including an order not to have custody or control of any animal, including his fish.

The dog was seized by the SPCA and has been relocated to a new home.

The BC SPCA conducts more than 7,500 cruelty investigations a year and is reliant on donations from the public to continue its work.