AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) – Dog owners thought they were paying for professional training but instead, they were scammed.
Now, for some, their beloved pets are missing.
“I thought I’ve done my research and apparently all of her training videos on her Facebook posts, apparently all those reviews were fake. I thought I did good, I thought, ‘Okay she’s a good person, okay she trains all these dogs,’ Oh was I wrong,” said Teagan Buck, victim.
Buck trusted the trainer with all three of her dogs, but when it was time to bring them home, only one was returned malnourished and weak.
“It looked like he hasn’t eaten in two or three months, which I’m sure he didn’t. I put him inside, I already had the food and water ready because I knew I was going to get him back and he went straight to the food and water. He threw up at least three times because he was inhaling food and water,” said Buck.
Another heartbroken owner says she gave her dog to the same trainer only to be met with silence. Now, she has no idea where her dog is.
“Once Chip went into her care, she promised pictures and videos and updates on a regular basis,” said Micah, victim.
Buck, Micah and another victim were all told their dogs got loose and ran off at Southlawn Park.
“When it got closer to Chip’s return date, she said she needed another week because she wanted to take him to a Girl Scout event and then she had I guess a grooming appointment for him as well,” said Micah.
All victims confirmed they were told the same exact excuse.
Experts warn pet owners to be cautious of trainers who demand full payment upfront, avoid communication, refuse visits or make excuses when returning dogs. These red flags could be warning signs of a scam.
“If what they’re offering sounds to good to be true, I would say 99.9999% of time it’s too good to be true, so don’t believe it. Number two, if they’re wanting to board your dogs to get them trained or they’re wanting to keep your dogs somewhere, ask to look at the facility,” said Sgt. Carla Burr, Amarillo Police Department.
Police reports have been filed, and a detective is investigating these lost dog cases.
“Have them allow you to go to their facility to kind of see what they’re doing, to get an idea. Talk to people they’ve trained previously, you know get those kind of references too. So that way you know that you’re getting what you’re paying for and your expectations are where they should be,” said Stacia Merritt, volunteer at Gracie’s Project.
If you have any information or have been a victim of an animal training scam, Amarillo police urges you to come forward to file a police report.
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