A Calgary man is facing charges in connection to the death of a dog that was found in the backyard of a Renfrew home at the end of March.

Police were called to a home in the 1400 block of Richland Road N.E. at about 4:30 p.m. on March 23 after a dog that lived there was discovered dead in the yard.

A necropsy confirmed that the dog had injuries consistent with a beating and that the cause of death was a deep cut to its neck.

Chevy was a border collie/chocolate lab cross and police say it was a targeted attack.

They believe the incident was part of a dispute between two people living at the home and that Chevy was taken from a locked area, badly beaten, killed with a knife, then buried in the backyard.

Robert Malcom Nicholson, 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.

“Any of us as human beings would be appalled by a dog being beaten and killed so it is a significant incident and that’s why I’d encourage anyone who is aware of animal abuse to report it,” said A/S/Sgt. Jason Smith, of the General Investigations Section.

“It’s graphic, it’s violent. We never like to see these types of incidents. It seems as though, generally speaking, when we have an abuse case that results in death it is most often the result of an animal behavior issue, that doesn’t seem to be the case here, so this is a rare incident and I can’t speak to the motive but it doesn’t appear that it was animal behavior related,” said Brad Nichols, of the Calgary Humane Society.

The dogs owner, Joe Hossay, says he is happy someone has been held accountable for Chevy's death.

"I'm happy that there is charges and that there is justice for Chevy. For what has happened, it's uncalled for. It could have been, there's different ways it could have been handled," said Hossay.

Hossay says he was friends with Nicholson for a few years and that his actions were out of the ordinary.

Nicholson is also been charged under the Alberta Animal Protection Act with causing an animal to be in distress.

Police confirm that Nicholson was in custody in Calgary overnight and had a bail hearing on Thursday morning.

Investigators say some of the charges can carry a maximum sentence of ten years if convicted.