A high profile CEO has been caught abusing a dog inside an elevator in a Vancouver building. Des Hague of the multibillion-dollar catering company Centerplate will donate U$100,000 and serve 1,000 hours of community service as recompense for his vile action.

A video, first released by Global News earlier this month, sees a man abusing a puppy on a leash while they were alone in an elevator of the Private Residences at Hotel Georgia. He is shown hauling the dog by its leash after kicking it several times.

The footage is dated July 27, and was emailed to the BC SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), which obtained a warrant during its investigation.

The next day, two BC SPCA officers entered the 39th floor of the building and found the puppy in the video in its crate. Its food and water bowls were out of its reach. The court documents, obtained by The Sun, described the one-year-old female dog named Sade as physically abused.

The Doberman pup is now in the organisation’s care.

After the footage has hit online, it was learned that the man in the video was Hague, the president and CEO of Centerplate, which caters to large sports arenas and convention centres in North America.

The company released a statement on Tuesday, distancing itself from Hague’s action.

“We pride ourselves as individuals and as a company on how we treat others – both humans and animals. The company finds Mr Hague’s personal behaviour unacceptable and outside the bounds of our high standards and expectations of all our staff. We do not condone nor can we overlook the mistreatment of animals and Mr Hague’s personal misconduct,” the company said in a statement.

It added that the Board will give Hague a written censure placing him on indefinite probation that states any further acts of misconduct will result in his immediate termination.

As a condition of his employment with Centerplate, Hague shall donate U$100,000 toward the establishment of the Sade Foundation in honour of the dog he abused. The foundation will help support the protection and safety of the animals in Vancouver.

The disgraced CEO will also serve 1,000 hours of community service in support of an organisation that protects the welfare of animals.

Furthermore, the company will donate a portion of its sales to the Sade Foundation.

Hague said that his action was “completely and utterly out of character,” saying in a statement that he is
ashamed and deeply embarrassed a minor frustration with a friend’s pet caused me to lose control of my emotional response. I would like to extend my apology to my family, company and clients, as I understand that this has also reflected negatively on them.”

He has reached out to SPCA.

BC SPCA chief prevention and enforcement officer Marcie Moriarty said they have recommended animal cruelty charges against Hague.