Bad Business!

[satchel]

I think we need a PSA thread to warn others of bad businesses.

Watch out for this guy, he advertises on craigslist/raleigh/pets.

Looks like the fired state trooper and this guy went to the same school.


Dog Academy of N.C., owned by Michael Ward.


http://www.wral.com/5onyourside/story/3782247/


Related Items
Neglect alleged at dog training, boarding academy

Posted: Oct. 21, 2008
Updated: Oct. 22, 2008

Durham, N.C. — After dropping her dog off for two weeks of boarding and training, Heather Doughty was surprised to see the results.

Doughty said her dog, Abbie, was filthy and had numerous bite marks, including ones down her right side and one on the back of one hip.

“She had open wounds on her neck. She had about four or five different sores about an inch apart on her neck,” Doughty said.

Doughty paid $500 for Abbie, who is less than a year old, to be boarded and trained at the Durham-based Dog Academy of N.C., owned by Michael Ward.

“He convinced me she'd come back a new dog,” Doughty said.

Ward said he uses “traditional” or punishment-based training methods.

“I’m not here to look pretty. I’m not here to be fancy. I’m just here to train your dog,” Ward said.

Ward, a graduate of The Tom Rose School of professional dog training in High Ridge, Mo., operates his academy out of his home.

Doughty said her dog also had an ear infection, had lost 10 pounds and acted very skittish. Doughty took Abbie to her veterinarian.

“As a veterinarian, I felt that there was some negligence or something done inappropriate with this dog,” Dr. John Dick said.

Dick said he was most concerned about Abbie's weight loss and demeanor.

“When she first came to us, she was a very happy puppy, and this visit … she was very anxious, I guess you could say. She was nervous from being handled, skittish about being restrained, just not normal behavior I would expect from a young puppy,” Dick said.

When Ward refused to refund any money, Doughty called 5 on Your Side.

Ward claimed Abbie arrived with the ear infection and said he pointed it out to Doughty.

As for the training, Ward said Abbie “was skittish when she came here.”

“The training they paid for is the training that I gave the dog. It's them who refused to be trained themselves in order to keep the level of training up,” Ward said.

Another dog owner who boarded her dog at the Academy in July said her Chihuahua escaped and wasn't found.

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture requires boarding facilities be licensed. A 5 on Your Side investigation showed Ward’s facility is not licensed.

An inspector checked it out and noted some violations. Ward was given 30 days to make improvements to his facility and get a license.

As for dog training, different methods are available.

Experts recommend dog owners research training programs because the methods are often as important as the result.

One way to be sure the trainer is using methods you are comfortable with is to participate in the training with your dog, experts say.

* Reporter: Monica Laliberte

[Qoasp]

Good idea satchel, I only got as far as

Doughty said her dog, Abbie, was filthy and had numerous bite marks

and stopped reading.

Don't want my own son to have to arrest me for hurting the POS that allowed this to happen.

[ligonwood]

So my question is: Is the owner publicly taking the dog trainer to task because she didn't think her dog was trained, because she felt it had been mistreated,
or because he wouldn't give her money back? Having boarded my own VERY difficult dog there in recent months, I can sympathize with the owners concerns because some of them were my own initially, but my experience turned out very positively. When I first saw my dog after 10 days it was hard for me too. She was very anxious (especially on seeing me! Her thoughts ran something to "thank god! Get me outta here!") but even so I could see how Michael Ward (trainer) had her total attention and she was obeying him. I could also see she'd lost weight and of course I worried. But I managed to get past my emotions and focus on the big picture. I looked at it like this. Weight loss? If left someplace unfamiliar for an extended time any dog may refuse food for a few days. Thats exactly what she did. And being slim it showed. Filthy? Depending when and where she picked her dog up if he'd been in the dog lot where they run and train, it is dirt, no grass. That tends to happen where there are multiple dogs. Dirty may happen...The trainer actually bathed my dog before bringing her home. Scratches?They are dogs, part of the training is socialization and tiffs are going to happen, just part of it. But the trainer stays with them and is there to step in.Welts around neck? She'd probably never used a pinch collar before and initially, if a dog requires a lot of corrections it can irritate. It did my dog, but its now almost two months later, we use it daily and not a scratch or mark on her. Short stock breeds like her bulldog and stubborn headstrong breeds like my Lab take a strong correction in the beginning to even get therir attention! Skittishness? My dog was anxious to begin with and while she'd learned to respect the trainer it took me working with her daily for that level of obedience to transfer. If I didn't consistently work with her and follow his advice and instructions she would revert right back to the unmanageable, aggressive, distressed dog she was. She is much calmer, a pleasure to walk and doing very well in her obedience work. I wish there was a magic program that just allowed us to love our dogs but the owner plays the major role. Walks aren't a special occasion when it works for me now but an everyday occurance along with training and as much exercise I can manage for her. We were taught how to change OUR behaviors (some of which actually encourage the very behaviors we are fighting in the dog) The work I put in is the price I pay for a better dog. And it's worth it. We are a much happier household and all the dogs seem calmer for the structure. If the other owner isn't willing to follow up with the training the dog isn't going to stay trained. Doesn't mean he didn't do his job.
I am glad I never saw the newsclip before I boarded my dog. If I had believed what was being said I might not have boarded her there. And that would have
been a loss for us.