update:)wwyd if a dog trainer/boarder abused your dog?

[Flowing Brook]

Update in # 40

 

 

My sister has a 10 month old German shepherd. His name is havoc. He is in training to be a search and rescue dog. He is also in herding classes. She takes him to the dog park 4-5 times a week.

In his search and rescue training he is at the top of his doggie class. He does more than any dog in the group. The trainers are all amazed at his willingness to do what he is told. Despite his name he is very willing to please. He is also a very laid back dog. About a couple months ago I watched him for my sister while she was out of town and in two weeks never heard him bark.

The only hang up Havoc has is he will not go in a crate and stay. If you try he goes crazy. He also gets anxiety if my sister leaves him.

 

My sister is in the army and has to go away often. Sometimes for a month at a time. Her friends usually watch him. They have never had a problem with him. Two of her friend's have asked repeatedly if they can buy him from her.

 

I say all this to kind of give you an idea of what kind of a dog havoc is.

Recently, my sister had to leave and myself nor any of her friends were able to watch him for her.

So found a "dog trainer" to board havoc. She explained his anxiety and that he does not like to be left in a cage. The trainer said no problem. She offered to train Havoc to stay in a crate while she watched him. When my sister came back five days later both of havoc's eyes were swollen nearly shut and his nose was twice the size it should have been. The trainer said Havoc tried to control her and this is what it took to gain full control of him. I don't mean Havoc was out of control she just "needed" full control.

 

If this had happened while he was in the crate I might be able to understand. However, she admitted it happened during "training".

My sister is upset but plans on paying the lady and moving on. I kinda think especially as much as she charged that she should not feel obligated to pay someone for abusing her dog.

I have never known Havoc to be domineering. This is a dog that will climb a twelve foot ladder if you just give him a good boy and a hug. Her friends have all agreed when they watch him he cries and wanders through the house the first day or so after she leave and then settles down after that.

Even if Havoc was a bad dog I can not understand a swollen face. Anyways I got a little long winded. What if anything can she do other than never use this lady again? Should she pay the lady?

[Gentlemommy]

Not only should she not pay her, she should take pictures, document his behavior changes, and report her. What a which.

[Murphy101]

I not only wouldn't pay her, I'd photo document it and give her one hell of a horrific rep every chance I got.

 

What an ass. I'd be one pissed off dog owner.

 

Grrr.

[Diane in CO]

I agree with all the responses so far. Grr is right!

[NotSoObvious]

Take pictures, report her to Animal Control, do NOT pay her.

[gardenmom5]

I assume this woman has a business lisence. I would take pictures and report it to both animal control and the lisencing agency. I wouldn't pay. what she did wasn't training. I would take the dog asap to have him examined by a vet. (today if possible. when calling let them know the dog was abused by a trainer/boarder and you want a report while the injuries are fresh). I would include that report in the complaints file.

[Joker]

We've withheld payment for less than that. Report them and do not pay! That's horrible.

[Jennifer3141]

I think your sister should document what happened and take Havoc to her vet for a checkup and his/her documentation.

 

However, proving animal abuse is going to be hard. It's not like the dog can say, "She beat me!" And unfortunately for our society, we take a rather lenient approach to this. :glare:

 

Since you sister is gone often, she may not want to put the energy into this war. She can however leave reviews in places and include a letter with her payment telling the jerk why she will never be back.

[NotSoObvious]

In fact, post the pictures on FB so we can all pass them around, telling people to never take their dogs to that woman. That enrages me.

[Guest]

I woulf go apesh!t on her. That is NOT normal, and NOT ok. I agree with the others...she needs to be reported and put out of business.

[AlmiraGulch]

I sent my dog with someone for board and train for two weeks. We got pictures and video the whole time Jax (the dog) was with the trainer, and emails about funny or cute things he did, or training successes we had.

 

When we picked him up he'd gained some weight because they accidentally overfed him (misunderstood my feeding instructions), but he was in great shape, was the same lovable dog we left, and clearly was affectionate toward the trainer.

 

There is no way I'd accept any excuse for my dog being in poor physical condition when I picked him up. I would not pay a cent.

[JustEm]

document it, report it, take animal to vet and insist she pay vet bill. I would not be paying anyone if they beat my dog into submission. That is not training that is abuse.

[Pawz4me]

Sigh.

 

What everybody else said -- have the dog examined by a vet, don't pay her and report her to animal control. Tell her you're taking these steps.

 

Sounds to me like yet another whackadoodle who watched a couple of episodes of Cesar Milan and got the horribly wrong idea that every dog who looks at her sideways is trying to take over the world. And hey, since she watched a couple of episodes she may as well call herself a trainer and start a business. :glare:

[*Lulu*]

1) document with photos, and write down what the trainer said. (So she can remember the wording later.)

 

2) document with a vet report. (Plus the vet can check to see if there is anything not so blatantly wrong.)

 

3) restrain desire to physically assault trainer. While you're at it, price the cost of the service that leaves gorilla poo on people's doorsteps.

 

4) complain to every.single.person and entity that is in any way animal related in a 100 mile radius.

 

5) pursue any legal means possible to have her licensing revoked.

 

6) prepare to go after the trainer for any and all costs related to any medical issues related to or re-training required from her abuse of the animal.

[QueenCat]

I wouldn't pay until a court told me to pay. Payment may confer that she was fine with the services. She needs to have a vet see him ASAP, before it is too late. She needs to document everything.

[*Lulu*]

And I absolutely would only pay her if a judge looked me in the eye and said I had to.

 

If she's already given a check, cancel it.

 

And I would tell the "trainer" what I was doing. In writing. Return receipt. She would know I was coming for her and why so, if she had sense, she could crap her pants waiting for the hell I would be raining down on her.

 

 

[Jennifer3141]

I don't want people to think I don't care about animal abuse. I do. Deeply. (It's how I've ended up with a freaking ZOO). However, in many states animal abuse isn't even a felony. My state happens to be one.

 

Some jerk teenager was stealing cats locally and setting them on fire. He got a $50 fine. :glare:

[zoobie]

I'd take the dog straight to the vet, take photographs, call the police, call the state licensing department (usually through Dept of Agriculture), leave reviews on yelp and everywhere else in existence...

[Shahrazad]

While you're at it, price the cost of the service that leaves gorilla poo on people's doorsteps.

 

YES. Thank.You. That is all I'm saying. The world would be a much better place if people contributed to their disputes with mail order gorilla poo.

[*Lulu*]

 

 

YES. Thank.You. That is all I'm saying. The world would be a much better place if people contributed to their disputes with mail order gorilla poo.

 

Let me tell you now, if someone did that to my dog they would wish I had just gone the gorilla poo route!

 

(And can I thank you for the single most enlightening discovery of the week. Gorilla poo service, who knew!)

[Rose in BC]

Oh my this was difficult to read. It is just wrong that the dog returns in that condition. I most definitely would report her.

[Donna]

We once left our yellow lab with a boarder for two weeks while on vacation. We gave the boarder written instructions which we went over verbally with her on how much should be fed and that her training collar should not be left on her all day but only used if walking her...at this point our lab had been through training and the collar was just a reminder (we never snatched it on her anymore because she listened well).

 

When we returned home our lab had been over-fed and the boarder had left her prong-snatch training collar on her and because she was now heavier from over-feeding, the prongs were stuck into the skin of her neck.

 

We refused to pay and filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. The place closed shortly after...I, honestly, don't know if it was because of our complaint or something else. We never boarded our dogs with anyone but friends or family after that experience.

[Chris in VA]

Report it. Then I'd sue her ass.

[ktgrok]

I'm a dog trainer. There is ZERO valid reason for what happened to this dog. NONE, ZIP, NADA. I'd be so angry I might do something awful. AT BEST there would be angry words, and a lawsuit. I sure as heck wouldn't pay a red cent. And I'd contact animal control, and any training organizations she is part of. That goes for local clubs, national bodies (APDT is a big one, and they would kick her out for this), CPDT, etc. You can easily search the websites of those groups to see if she is a member. I think I'd call the police too. If you get an animal lover they will at least go talk to her and let her know this is NOT ok.

 

I'm livid just thinking about that poor excuse for a trainer and that poor, poor dog.

 

Oh, and yes, please take the dog to the vet to look for more problems and document what happened. There could be bruises, etc that you are not seeing.

[Truscifi]

Agreeing with others. Don't pay, and get to a vet ASAP. If there is that much visible damage, there may be more that is not so easily seen. I would definitely talk to both police and BBB to see what, if anything, could be done. I would probably also start a one person crusade to spread this woman's terrible rep and put her out of business. Don't mess with my dog.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Oh my. My heart breaks for this poor dog. I agree that she should take the dog to the vet, not only for documentation and to report this sorry excuse for a human being, but also to see if there were any further injuries. I would report this "trainer" to licensing agencies, the police, the BBB, to all the humane societies in the area, yelp, to anyone who would listen. This is so wrong!

[RemsMom]

This story just breaks my heart. My German Shepherd HATES to be boarded, he just wants to be with his family (especially me). We have two places we board him and he is always so eager to get in the car and go home but he is always healthy, clean, and it is clear that he has been treated well. There is no excuse for the treatment your sister's dog had to endure.

[CatholicMom]

WOW. :sad: I agree with the others who say no way should that woman get paid. I'm sure when your daughter agreed to the "training" she didn't have hitting her dog in the face in mind. I mean, isn't that illegal, to boot? I'm not even a dog owner, but I would be VERY upset. I would definitely take pics, not pay her, and let her know exactly why and how incredibly unimpressed I was, to say the least.

 

Maybe a trip to the vet is also in order. I hope there is no further damage to his eyes or something! Good grief. A dog can take a lot of whacks with a hand or a newspaper and not have a swollen nose and eyes! I can't imagine how hard she was hitting that poor thing! :scared:

 

If she takes pictures now she can always decide what to do with them in a few days. But in a few more days she may lose her chance to document the evidence, so I say take pics now.

[Unicorn.]

Agree w/ everyone else. First, document and get the dog to the vet. Do not pay the lady, and send vet bill to her. Notify everyone you can think of-and show documentation. Resist urge to beat crap out of her w/ a baseball bat. Now, I need to go hug my dog!

 

Oh, and we were going to board our dog in August for a few days. Now, no way.

[Violet Crown]

Spam reported.

[Pawz4me]

A dog can take a lot of whacks with a hand or a newspaper and not have a swollen nose and eyes! I can't imagine how hard she was hitting that poor thing!

 

 

She may not have been hitting him. Since he has a history of crate phobia, it's possible she left him in a crate or kennel run and he injured his face trying to get out and she did nothing about it. With her callous attitude, I think it's possible she took a "tough love" approach to his phobia, thinking he just needed to learn who was "alpha" so he wouldn't try to "dominate" her. I'm not saying that's definitely what happened, just that it's an alternative to him having been hit.

 

I don't know about other states, but here the only license anyone needs to call themselves a trainer is a business license from the state if they're actively marketing themselves for a fee and legally running a business. The dog trainer licensing/accreditation organizations are almost all just money making machines. Send in the money and they'll send you a certificate/accreditation. It really is very much a buyer beware thing. The CCPDT *may* be an exception, but there's such a tiny number of trainers who are credentialed through them so far that it's difficult to tell.

[ktgrok]

Yes, the CPDT does seem to be an exception. I was certified or whatever through them, and it does involve a test on learning theory, animal handling, diseases of dogs that might be communicable, dealing with clients, etc. Nothing else does really. And no one ever knew what my certification meant anyway, so not sure that many get it.

 

I'm also wondering if she just let the dog injure itself, or used pepper spray, or something. But if the dog was trying to get out I'd expect some damage to the front feet at well, or lips/gums, not eyes so much.

[jujsky]

Is killing the trainer an option???????

 

If not, take pictures, document everything (as part of the documentation process, I would have taken the dog to the vet straight from the trainer's place), and this miserable excuse for a "trainer" should never, ever have been paid. I would also start a smear-campaign, bashing her wherever she advertised. I'd use before and after pictures of the dog to do it. Dogs are sensitive anyway, and GSDs are particularly sensitive (we have 2). We left ours with a negligent dog sitter (a FORMER friend, and this is why he's a former friend!) and it took months before our dogs recovered from it mentally and emotionally. There was no abuse involved, just gross neglect. Your sister's dog is probably emotionally and mentally messed up over this. I'm not saying he's scarred for life, but it may take a long time to get him back to where he was. If training or consultation fees are incurred to help the dog through this time, I'd expect the person who did the damage to cough up the dough. If not, I'd sue her, even if it meant money out of my own pocket to do so, but anyone who knows me knows I'm crazy about my dogs.

[Dory]

As a breeder and a someone who regularly boards dogs and works with problem dogs, I would document it, with a vet, and definitely not pay.

[AimeeM]

I think your sister should document what happened and take Havoc to her vet for a checkup and his/her documentation.

 

However, proving animal abuse is going to be hard. It's not like the dog can say, "She beat me!" And unfortunately for our society, we take a rather lenient approach to this. :glare:

 

Since you sister is gone often, she may not want to put the energy into this war. She can however leave reviews in places and include a letter with her payment telling the jerk why she will never be back.

Agreed.

 

Look, my husband is NOT into the whole "gentle training" bit, but at NO point did our training of our GSD ever, ever, ever incur injury on the dog's part. That is just sick.

[AimeeM]

We've had the best luck boarding at our trusted vet's office. We pay for a large area, extra for a dog run, and for someone to play with Luke (well, we've done that once; Luke isn't entirely adult friendly if he doesn't know you, so I'm not sure we'll do that again - for some reason they looked rather happy to be rid of him, lol!).

[NCMom]

Haven't read the other replies but I would take pictures and get him to a vet asap. Any good vet will be able to tell her the next steps. And any good vet will be horrified that this happened.

 

I would also consult a behaviorist (NOT a trainer) asap as this could affect his ability to continue to be trained for SAR.

 

Your sister needs to step up and not let this go.

 

I hope that doesn't sound harsh. I just can't imagine how I would feel if that happened to my dog while under someone's care. I can tell you though that they would think twice before doing it to another dog.

 

 

Georgia

[NCMom]

I think your sister should document what happened and take Havoc to her vet for a checkup and his/her documentation.

 

However, proving animal abuse is going to be hard. It's not like the dog can say, "She beat me!" And unfortunately for our society, we take a rather lenient approach to this. :glare:

 

Since you sister is gone often, she may not want to put the energy into this war. She can however leave reviews in places and include a letter with her payment telling the jerk why she will never be back.

 

 

I agree and disagree. Legally - may not be a lot you can do, depending on where you live.

 

But..the dog/dog training world is like the homeschooling world. A little subculture, all its own. (You think people here get rabid about stuff? ...lol) If she gets the word out, people will hear and the lunatic lady will suffer a loss of business to some extent - I hope to the extent that she is shut down. Word of mouth is a lot in the business. 1 picture of the dog looking like that...would be worth a thousand words, literally. The vet seeing the dog could also be a very effective advocate.

 

You know, not only would I not pay, but if I could document it well, I think I would sue for the vet bill AND any behaviorist/training bills incurred.

 

I

[celticmom]

Is killing the trainer an option???????

 

If not, take pictures, document everything (as part of the documentation process, I would have taken the dog to the vet straight from the trainer's place), and this miserable excuse for a "trainer" should never, ever have been paid. I would also start a smear-campaign, bashing her wherever she advertised. I'd use before and after pictures of the dog to do it. Dogs are sensitive anyway, and GSDs are particularly sensitive (we have 2). We left ours with a negligent dog sitter (a FORMER friend, and this is why he's a former friend!) and it took months before our dogs recovered from it mentally and emotionally. There was no abuse involved, just gross neglect. Your sister's dog is probably emotionally and mentally messed up over this. I'm not saying he's scarred for life, but it may take a long time to get him back to where he was. If training or consultation fees are incurred to help the dog through this time, I'd expect the person who did the damage to cough up the dough. If not, I'd sue her, even if it meant money out of my own pocket to do so, but anyone who knows me knows I'm crazy about my dogs.

:iagree: especially with the bolded. We have a Belgian Malnois which is a very similiar breed and sometimes we refer to her as PTSD dog. She was abused by someone trying to "make her mean" and then was abandoned during Hurricane Katrina. She has definite issues related to these events.

[Flowing Brook]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I thought I would ad for those that expressed that havoc might have some long lasting effects from this that he seems to be his usual happy go lucky self. Other than getting a little extra spoiling I mean attention the last few days he appears to be fine. His wounds aren't any worse than what we could see on the surface. I am sooo thankful!!

[StephanieZ]

I'd take him to the vet, get the vet's diagnosis as to what happened/what the wounds indicate. I'd give the vet the full history.

 

In some locations, including our state of WV, vets are mandatory reporters of abuse. Physical injury indicates abuse. It is a criminal act -- in fact, a felony in many states. I'd send that shit-bag to jail. She needs a messy and expensive experience with the police to discourage her from harming the next dog that comes her way.

 

Whether or not the vet reported it, I would report the injuries and the "trainer's" report as to the causes to the police.

 

Before I did all that, I'd also (if legal in your state), call the "trainer" on a recorded line (easy to do on the computer or smart phone), and I'd record her admitting what she did. I'd provide this to the police as well.

 

I would send the trainer the vet bill(s) for reimbursement. I would send her a certified letter telling her that due to the abuse and injuries she caused the dog, I was holding payment for a period of one year -- to see for using it towards payment of veterinary and behaviorist costs due to the injuries and trauma.

 

FWIW, "trainers" is not a regulated word in most places. Bad idea to trust someone like that . . . If you have behavior problems, consult a "behaviorist" recommended by your vet.