What is it with Ohio? - Page 1

http://www.nbc4i.com/story/21672163/kennel-owner-facing-cruelty-to-animal-charges

Got to be a buddy of Helsers!

Not all of Ohio. Seems to be just the Columbus area.

Here's a working link. This story is sickening. And I don't get how if the cops went there in Dec. about a missing dog, how is it a surprise now? What took so long? Doesn't anyone in Ohio check references? One would think with the notoriety of the Nitro case that became the driving force for a law of the same name, currently reintroduced as HB90, well, it is just sad, it happens, again and again. Apparently, the name of the kennel owner isn't an unknown one in dog sport, either. 


http://www.nbc4i.com/story/21672163/kennel-owner-facing-cruelty-to-animal-charge
 

Beetree, that is why people need to do basic research. A simple Google search on a name could save lots of heart-break.

The name Cory sounds familiar.  Isn't he the one that was "training" the dog that came up missing?  There was a number of threads in December about a missing dog; I think the dog's name was Teddy.

I know if I had a dog that went from 115# to 70# while in someone elses care, I would be ballistic!

The problem is that back in December, a web search didn't bring up anything negative about this guy...it only brought up links to a Dean Calderon seminar, a PSA club he is/was affiliated with, another trainer in Ohio who had apparently been in partnership with Dewberry, a PSA web forum, Central Ohio Dogsports and the Midwest Working Dog Association.  That was it...a search now, of course, brings up all of the recent news reports, and a post on another message board from Aug. 2012 warning that Dewberry would 'back burner' dogs that were there for board-and-train if they weren't 'naturals' for the work, meaning he'd keep the dogs there @ $1200 a month or some such obscene amount, but would rarely put any work into them. I know that didn't come up on a web search back in December.  This guy had a decent word-of-mouth reputation, apparently, for quite a few years, so it's not as if trixx just blindly put her dog on a plane and shipped him off to someone completely unknown to anyone--and at the time she sent Teddy there to be trained, Dewberry was hosting seminars at his place as well as IPO trials and 'dog festivals' that were open to the public.  Clearly, something changed for the worst between then and now.

 

"The problem is that back in December, a web search didn't bring up anything negative about this guy."

Which is why you need to pay a private detective to do a background check before you dump your dog off with a total stranger. Bet she wouldn't have given her house keys to this guy and then strolled off for months without ever checking on her house. 

I used up all my sympathy on the dog, who probably died a horrible death from starvation.

Several months ago, a friend of mine was all hot to spend 5 grand for a GSD that sounded fabulous from a guy with only one ding on the web (which sounded like it could have come from a crackpot) and tons of positive stuff on the web.  I bugged him nonstop until he did a background check just to shut me up.  Turns out the guy had a rap sheet a mile long.  He was almost bankrupt and probably didn't even own the dog.  The whole deal was a scam.  Moral: A web search isn't enough.

Hexe is right.  

Mystere, no not Columbus, these bad people have been all over Ohio.  Croley was far north-east of Columbus by several hours, near the PA border; Helser was west of Dayton, 2 hrs from Columbus, now I've heard he's moved from there to somewhere else in Ohio, but still not Columbus;  Lorenzo Williams was...I believe in Johnstown area? in a county that borders Franklin county (where Columbus is); Dewberry had addresses both in Franklin county and Fairfield county (which borders Franklin) and he did most of his business in Fairfield.  There are still some other bad apples around who haven't made the news yet, only one I know of who actually is in Franklin county, in or near Columbus.  

The recent news and charges of cory dewberry is extremely upsetting, I'm glad justice is being served but it angers me very much to hear about the fur and bones they found on his property.  News said that investigators are having the remains examined and identified...we can only wonder if Bea's Teddy is one of them.  If he is, then it will be closure for Bea, but still a nightmare.  I hope cory personally pays a heavy price just for Teddy's loss alone, as well as the others.  

Seems too many people with egos and half-ass knowledge think they have what it takes to run a kennel business.  I've never operated one myself but I have worked in plenty of kennels of all types, it is absolutely NOT an easy walk in the park like it seems to be on the surface.  This is not a business where short cuts can be taken, but so many people seem to think they can get away with taking short cuts in any kind of animal-related business.  Businesses fail all the time, but when a kennel business fails it's the dogs that pay the ultimate price and kennel owners will find themselves in heaps more trouble than bankruptcy and credit problems.  

and no, doing a google search or a background search is not always going to tell you when someone's having problems and have compromised their ethics.  I remember when dewberry first started heavily bombarding this area with his advertising for training and sales.  I googled him and did background search on him (even though I never contacted him or used any of his services) and nothing negative came up at all about him back then.  My personal gut feelings just didn't like him for the fact that he was a new, unproven trainer/business, he was doing far too much advertising and (later) he was badmouthing other dog people who I know didn't deserve it.  

I will no longer ever consider a trainer who advertises (a tiny, infrequent amount of advertising is ok.)   Good trainers get their advertising through word-of-mouth from their proven long-term business ethics.  If a person is seeking a career as a dog trainer, then they should build their reputation and clientele while working as assistants of already known and reputable trainers (or a proven record they can show of military/LEO k9 handling/training.)  A trainer's references should come from other professionals in the dog world.   

Ohio has had way more than it's share of bad dog people,  it makes Ohio sound like a friggin hotbed of bad dog people.  It would be nice to point out very good and reputable dog trainers and kennels in Ohio...here are a few I will list who have excellent reputations. 
Mark Frederick (not a kennel, but a long time dog trainer, he does not participate in dog sports; also a very long time friend of my family)
Clearcreek Bauernhof kennels
Nancy Rhynard of Westwood kennels
Dean Calderon (not a long time Ohio resident...is he still in Ohio?) 
Lindesfarne kennel
National K9 (boarding/grooming/supplies/training/trainers-school)
and a lot more individuals and kennels with stellar reputations in the dog world that reside in Ohio, please feel free to list more here (but don't list yourself or your own business/kennel)

edited to also add Marty Martin of Ohio, who passed away while on-duty.  He had a truly stellar reputation as a dog trainer and dog sportsman as well and he deserves mention.