A heartless CEO blamed said “minor frustrations” led him to viciously beat his friend’s 1-year-old Doberman pinscher.
Surveillance video from a Vancouver, British Columbia, high-rise caught Desmond Hague, a Connecticut catering company executive, yanking Sade the puppy into an elevator.
He then began his rampage, kicking the cowering pooch and pulling her by her leash. The terrified pup tried to recoil in the corner, but the beating continued until the elevator opened.
The video, dated July 27, was leaked to Canadian animal workers earlier this month.
The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals raided the 39th-floor condominium last week and found Sade trembling in a urine-soaked cage with no food or water, the Vancouver Sun reported.
Officials seized the dog, who did not seem to have any long-lasting injures.
It’s unclear if either the condo or the poor pup belongs to Hague, who lives in Stamford, Conn. In an apology for the savage attack, Hague called Sade his “friend’s pet.”
“I take full responsibility for my actions. This incident is completely and utterly out of character and I am ashamed and deeply embarrassed,” he said in the statement. “A minor frustration with a friend’s pet caused me to lose control of my emotional response.”
He added: “I have reached out to the SPCA and have personally apologized to the dog’s owner.”
British Columbia’s SPCA could press animal cruelty charges, chief prevention and enforcement officer Marcie Moriarty told the newspaper. If tried and convicted, Hague could face jail time.
Hague is the CEO of Connecticut-based Centerplate, a catering company that distributes food to sporting event venues across the country. Among its 350 clients are Manhattan’s Javits Center, New Orleans’ Superdome, San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium and the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field, WSTP reported.
A representative for the company released a statement on the incident.
“Centerplate does not condone the mistreatment of animals by any of its employees,” it said. “Mr. Hague has agreed to attend counseling to address his anger management issues.”
