We were so fortunate to get a beautiful cavapoo puppy just after the New Year. We named her Penny. What a joy she has brought to our family. We absolutely adore her, and of course want the best for her. Although our at home training was going fairly well, unfortunately she came with a couple of bad habits. One being that she would not poop outside, and would sometimes EAT her own poop. Yep, we were disgusted too. Secondly she had some attention barking going on and trying to be a considerate neighbor I have been trying to work with a trainer on the barking as well as the poop eating (the term is called coprophagia, and strangely enough it’s seen in around 25% of dogs).

I had a few people tell me to try a board and train for a deep reprogramming of this nasty habit. I looked for a professional in the matter, but found it hard to find a board and train program for her age and particular issue. I conducted a search for dog trainers on http://www.bark.com and expanded my search into Connecticut, Norwalk and Stamford areas as it wasn’t too far from me. The one ‘must’ was that they had CDPT accreditation. I found one, located in Norwalk CT, and the trainer even had the same first name as me, but with an ‘H’ at the end. They promised on their website to go beyond the walk, and welcome us with open paws, and were Fairfield County’s premier pet care and training. Sounded ideal, and I called, strangely it was a Google Voice number and not an actual phone number, and had a conversation with the lady with same name as me (but with the H!). She said she would definitely be able to help my 18 week old puppy, who was our bundle of joy, wrapped up into a ball of boundless puppy energy but also the sweetest girl who will lick us to death to show her affection. My dog was definitely on the nervous side, but we had been having great success with desensitizing her to sounds and people, it was slow but she had been making steps to go sniff a stranger.

I signed the board and train contract, and the arrangement was made to pick up Penny from my home, on a Thursday morning. I was to pay a 500 deposit on the fee, and 400 at pick up. Being that I’m organized I paid the second 400 before she even came to get my dog, probably a little naive come to think of it.

The trainer came to get her, and strangely didn’t park in the open space outside my home, she chose to drive down the block and was waiting there with her trunk open. The crate was in the back. She didn’t even greet my dog and just stuck her in the back of the car seemingly emotionless, and I started to get a bad feeling about all this – I thought a trainer would want to build trust with the dog? Nonetheless I was out $900 and she had driven all the way in her Ford Explorer from Norwalk, Connecticut to pick up my sweet little pup. I figured I was being a worrier so I let her take my pup and asked her to please contact me when she arrived back with my dog.

I did get a text (again from the same google voice number from her assistant) telling me my dog had vomited on the way to the facility. I was immediately worried she was extremely anxious and had vomited out of fear. I asked the ‘assistant’ to please keep me informed and let me know how she is later. The next day rolls around, and I’m extremely worried about my puppy, but I am told she is settling down. I breathe a sigh of relief now imagining her being hand fed chicken (good trust building to give a high quality treat) and perhaps frolicking around playing by now.

Not long after I get another text by the assistant, that the trainer wanted to have a call with me, that I had not disclosed all my dogs issues and they are very severe (I actually wrote a very detailed synopsis of any issues we’ve seen over the last 2 months which they received) and discuss the training plan and that it will need to be modified. I was surprised as every other person I’ve met with my dog, has said her nervousness with strangers is very common especially at just a few months old. She was calm and very easy at the vets, or at her vaccines etc. She displayed typical puppy behavior.

I get the phone call (again, on this mysterious Google voice number) and I was told that my puppy had bitten the trainers hand and she had 4 puncture wounds on her hand. Shocked, we’ve played and been with our pup for 2 months and never been bitten more than the light puppy land shark bites, and she still has her baby teeth! I was floored by this, and I asked what was happening when this happened, after all, she is the trainer and is supposed to be in ‘control’ of the puppy when she is in possession of her. She said she had reached into the crate to try to get her out but Penny backed away and she tried to grab her and she bit her. I would probably do the same thing if I was Penny! Rule number 1: You build trust with a puppy and let her come to you, you don’t try to reach in and grab them, that’s very traumatic as the crate is their safe space. My girl loves her crate, goes in of her own free will, and then comes out and greets me with a jump up to say hi every morning. She’s amazing with going in and out of the crate so this all sat very strange with me.

I said, I have never heard of such a thing, because my dog has never shown any signs of aggression, she’s an 8lb cavapoo and they are very loving dogs. I said she must be extremely scared. So the trainer told me that this means she’s going to need longer with her and maybe 3 to 4 weeks. I flat out said my budget was only 2 weeks, and that’s not going to be possible. She launched into a whole speech how that if I don’t get my puppy under control, I am risking a lawsuit, and my dog being deemed unsafe. Again, I’m in shock at this because never have we seen this behavior and I’ve been with the dog for 2 months. Plus we had a trainer come here and they had no issues. At this point I decided to google the trainer while I was on this long and strange phone call. I found she is suing someone, and a rescue organization called Hurley’s Heart Bulldog Rescue, and a lady called Stacey Somer for a dog bite! What a coincidence. While we were on the phone I decided to bring it up, because I started to feel a pattern was forming here. She immediately got very defensive and said that wasn’t true and that she was suing because her dog was attacked, by a neighbors dog and her dog required multiple surgeries/medical bills. I knew this wasn’t true so I just said I’ll have to think about all this.

When I got off the phone, I called my friend who is a dog trainer, and she looked her up and she has no CPDT accreditation. The trainer also told me she was a certified behavior consultant. It was false on Bark.com. I also reached out to the attorney on the dog bite case who informed me of a pattern of behavior that was extremely worrisome. A dog even lost his life (London, the Bulldog). I started to worry that really this was a dishonest person and I needed to get my dog back asap.

It was almost 6pm by this time, and I was in New York and she in Norwalk (at an undisclosed location with my pup). I had to get my puppy back immediately. I texted and said ‘I need to get my dog back tonight please’ and she said their hours are 7-7 so if I can’t get by then I can’t get her back that evening. I ran out the door like a bat out of hell, determined to get my pup before 7pm despite the traffic at rush hour on a Friday up to CT. It was all very ‘cloak and dagger’ as they would not tell me where my puppy was being held. I was told to meet at a parking lot at PetSmart in Stamford. I started to feel uneasy about all of this, so a friend told me to document everything and also ask to meet at the Stamford Police Department. The trainer refused to saying that there is no parking there (I believe there is). At the same time her assistant was trying to get me to sign a disclosure agreement before I get my dog, and that ‘it have to be signed prior to the pick up of your dog’ including talk about she won’t persue legal action against me about the dog bite if I sign it. I said I will need to review with my attorney first and they can’t hold my dog hostage. I also asked for a refund (at least for all the nights she didn’t have her, as she only had her 30 hours) and she said it’s non refundable.

She arrives at the PetSmart in Stamford and gets out her Ford Explorer truck with a man in tow. They both stand there without uttering a word but I carefully looked at her hands when she opened the trunk, which neither had any sign of injury of dog bite. My poor puppy was cowering in the crate shaking, and smelled of vomit, and urine. I picked her up and she melted into my arms, relieved. I felt she was skin and bone. I could feel all her ribs and her chest bones. She was clearly dehydrated which was probably due to being left in a crate all that time and not eaten. When I got her in the car she immediately vomited yellow bile all over me. When we got home, she was visibly shaking and then vomited yellow bile yet again. She also had the presence of a dry cough. Even my children commented ‘what happened to her, she looks terrible’.

I felt so guilty to entrust my dog to this persons care. I am so glad I did my research even though it was a little too late at that point.

The next day I decided to leave a review. This business also had another red flag in that it didn’t have a google listing (where anyone can review) or Yelp or any place you can leave a review. So I left a detailed review about what happened on Bark.com which is where I found this business. The next morning, the review had disappeared and my account with Bark had been terminated. Interesting? I reached them on the phone and told them the trainer does not have the CPDT certification that she claims on her Bark.com profile. They did not want to do anything about it. I am just worried that another dog owner will have a similar experience and their dogs may not make it. I also spoke with the Norwalk Police Department and there are multiple police reports regarding this woman. Anyone considering hiring her should do their due diligence. Please ask to see where the dogs will be kept (I believe my dog was kept outside in kennels), please contact Animal Control in Norwalk and ask if there are any complaints about this business, and also contact the Norwalk Police Department and ask if there are police reports regarding this business (or specifically the owner of the business). #beyondthewalk #beyondthewalkct

My dog also soiled herself multiple times that night she was home, as well as continuing to vomit yellow bile. I think she was holding her poop for all that time and totally backed up. I’m so sad she endured this! She has a terrible cough since being home, and is extremely anxious especially if anyone touches her neck (like taking off her leash). Please do your research!