Calgary police lay charges in animal cruelty death

The Calgary Police Service has charged a man in relation to a dog death in late March, following a joint investigation with the Calgary Humane Society.

At approximately 4:30 p.m., on Monday, March 23, 2015, police were called to a residence in the 1400 block of Richland Road N.E., after a dog that lived there was found dead and buried in the backyard. A necropsy performed by the Calgary Humane Society confirmed that the dog had injuries consistent with being beaten, and the cause of death was a deep cut on the animal’s neck.

The dog’s name was Chevy and he was a border collie/chocolate lab mixed-breed.

It is believed that as part of a dispute between two people living at the residence, the dog was taken from a locked area, badly beaten and killed with a knife, then buried in the backyard. Police believe this was a targeted attack and that there was no danger to any other animals in the community as a result of this incident.

Robert Malcom NICHOLSON, age 34, of Calgary, is charged under the Criminal Code of Canada with breaking and entering, mischief to property, obstruction of justice, killing an animal without lawful excuse and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. He has also been charged under the Alberta Animal Protection Act with causing an animal to be in distress.