Burlingame Woman Admits Choking, Hitting Dog in Incident Caught on Camera

REDWOOD CITY, CA – A Burlingame woman pleaded guilty to misdemeanor cruelty to animals on Wednesday for choking and hitting a dog during an incident in her backyard last year that was captured on video by a neighbor, San Mateo County prosecutors said today.

Linda Levac, 66, was ordered to serve five days in jail that can be served in a work release program and two years of probation. The Peninsula Humane Society will monitor her two dogs for the next two years.

Levac was charged in August 2015 after a neighbor took video of her picking a dog up by its collar, slamming it to the ground and hitting it while the dog yelped in pain. The neighbor turned the video over to the humane society.

She was apparently operating a pet boarding facility in her backyard without a license. On Aug. 5, 2015, Peninsula Humane Society investigators seized 10 dogs from Levac's backyard.

Later, the humane society released the video to the media seeking more information about the dog she abused. The owners of the dog, a 6-year-old spaniel/Chihuahua mix named Frisco, saw the video and brought Frisco to the humane society, where it was checked out by a veterinarian who determined it did not have any lasting injuries.

In addition to the sentence, Levac must pay $1,280 in restitution to the humane society.

The video may be viewed here and below, but viewer discretion is advised.

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(Image via YouTube screenshot)