Toronto man who allegedly threatened to kill dog in online video loses appeal to get his pet back

A man is seen holding a leash in this file photo. (File)

A Toronto man arrested for allegedly abusing his dog in videos posted online will not be getting his pet back after losing an appeal with the province’s Animal Care Review Board.

Police previously said that 25-year-old Lionel Howse was arrested by Canada Border Services Agency officers in Windsor, Ont., on Sept. 10, 2025, as he was returning to Canada after taking a road trip to the United States.

Police said they were first notified of the videos on Aug. 16. The videos, which were posted on streaming platform Kick, allegedly showed the man threatening his dog, a female yellow Labrador Retriever named Peaches.

The dog was removed from Howse’s care during his September arrest and transferred to the care of animal services in Windsor, Ont. Howse was charged with a number of offences under the Criminal Code and Provincial Offices Act, including uttering threats against an animal and willfully causing unnecessary pain, suffering, or injury to an animal.

The accused subsequently appealed to the tribunal to have the dog returned but that application was rejected in a decision released last month.

‘I f***ing hate this dog bro’

According to the decision, videos reviewed by Dr. Nicola Jackson, a veterinarian with Animal Welfare Services, showed Peaches in “distress” when her owner threatened and struck the dog.

She noted that Howse can be heard on one video saying, “I f***ing hate this dog bro. I’m literally going to snap her neck.”

In the same video, he allegedly is heard saying that he will kill the dog “in front of everyone right here.”

Other video clips, according to the tribunal documents, show the appellant smacking the dog across her head and on her back end multiple times.

“Peaches shows numerous signs of anxiety and fear including crouching, lowered body posture with ears down and back and cowering,” Alisa Chaplick, the adjudicator, wrote.

“Jackson states that these are all indicators of negative feelings experienced during either a perceived or anticipated threat to her safety and reflect psychological distress.”

While “unaware of whether” he had the intention of following through with the threats, Jackson said the outbursts are a “concerning pattern of behaviour towards Peaches,” the decision read.

Owner says dog was ‘loved,’ ‘well cared for’

The dog’s owner said he was “playing a character” in the videos and stated that outside of some “isolated moments of frustration,” Peaches has been a “well-cared for and loved companion for many years.”

Videos depicting “positive interactions” between the owner and the dog were presented during the hearing.

Howse argued that if the board decided not to return Peaches to his care, she should be sent to live with his family in Newfoundland, where he said he was planning to relocate at the time of his arrest.

“The plan appeared to be for Peaches to be relocated to Newfoundland. Although the Appellant stated that his family in Newfoundland would be open to check-ins regarding Peaches’ well-being, neither the Board nor AWS have jurisdiction to order such check-ins in Newfoundland,” the adjudicator wrote, ultimately dismissing the application for the return of the animal.

“I find that the conditions that caused the dog to be kept in the Respondent’s care have not ceased to exist such that the dog should not be returned to the Appellant,” the adjudicator wrote.

Howse has also been ordered to pay $1,133.04 for costs incurred by Animal Welfare Services to care for the dog.

The criminal charges against Howse have not yet been tested in court.