Burlingame dog sitter pleads not guilty to animal cruelty charge

BURLINGAME, Calif. (KGO) -- A professional dog sitter in Burlingame who's accused of animal abuse had her lawyer appear in court for her on Thursday. The case came to the district attorney's attention because of a disturbing incident captured on cellphone video.

Warning this video is graphic.

Frisco is okay and was not injured, even though you in the video see him being grabbed by the neck and thrown to the ground.

Since he didn't suffer broken bones or any injuries, that's why Linda Levac has been charged with a misdemeanor and not a felony.

Levac was running a small dog boarding and sitting business out of her Burlingame home. Her neighbor took the video.

When asked how Frisco's owner is holding up, Deputy District Attorney Sean Dabel said, "She was pretty upset. She'd actually trusted the defendant, like a lot of people, to care for her pet. And the defendant was holding herself out as a local business to provide care during the day for pets. And unfortunately she was at the same time abusing at least Frisco, and potentially a number of other animals that were in her care.

Levac's attorney appeared on her behalf and entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of cruelty to an animal. Because it's a misdemeanor, she does not have to appear.

She is out of jail on $10,000 bail and her dog care business has been closed.

If convicted, Levac could face up to one year in jail and could lose the right to own or care for animals.