WARNING: Content depicts animal abuse and may be sensitive to some readers.
A dog trainer in the village of Black Creek, Wisconsin, was recently exposed after a horrific video went public. Surveillance footage from the facility showed Allen Burnsworth abusing a dog named Odie. The awful video quickly gained popularity on social media, causing Burnsworth and his dog training business to receive a lot of backlash.
Burnsworth still hasn’t apologized or even owned up to his mistake. Dog parents are worried he’ll continue abusing dogs no matter what happens to his business. So, victims and other dog lovers are spreading the word as much as possible.
Animal Abuse Exposed
Burnsworth is the owner of In Touch Dog Training. In a recent clip from surveillance footage, he can be seen “training” Luke Janssen’s dog named Odie. However, Burnsworth’s form of training is blatant abuse.
In the video, Burnsworth picks the dog up by the leash, which is attached to his collar. He holds the pup in the air for a few moments before swinging him around and slamming him against the ground. Then, poor Odie cowers as Burnsworth seems to order commands at him.
“If someone saw something like that happening to my dog I would want to know,” said Shaunna Herrick, an employee who quit after the incident.
As it turns out, Odie isn’t the only victim of this man’s dangerous training methods. The business had many bad reviews about dogs arriving home injured, but the owner removed some of them. A group of former clients also started a Facebook group to share the word about this inhumane business.
Dog Trainer Shows No Remorse
Burnsworth refuses to apologize or admit that what he did is wrong. He argued that he did what he had to do because the dog was nipping at other staff members. Janssen said that Odie was in training for some aggression issues, but Burnsworth’s actions are no way to train any dog. If anything, it will only make an aggressive dog’s behaviors worse.
“The clip that is out there is 55 seconds or 54 seconds — however long it is, less than a minute — of dealing with an aggressive dog that was attempting to bite, and attempted to bite several of the trainers, and they asked me to step in and try to help,” said Burnsworth. “We’re being railroaded by social media. It’s crazy. We have received death threats.”
This incident is currently under investigation, but that hasn’t stopped Burnsworth. At first, he began shutting down his business, and he even listed it as “permanently closed” on Google. But now, he seems to have opened it back up despite everything. Burnsworth is even trying to make people feel sorry for him.
It’s unclear if the investigation will make a difference, but dog lovers won’t give up. With lots of people spreading the word and sharing their experiences, justice will hopefully be served. Burnsworth should never be allowed to care for someone’s dog again after his disgusting actions.
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