A couple is seeking justice after the trainer who was looking after their late dog allegedly waited days to tell them about the bernedoodle's death.
Newlyweds Masera and Emeka Ndukwe left their beloved dog Brooklyn in the care of Alan Brown while they voyaged on their European honeymoon, as reported by Fox News.
After the trainer failed to provide updates on the canine, the Ndukwes asked their friends to retrieve the dog from the trainer. It was then that Brown told the couple's companions of Brooklyn's fate.
According to the New York Post, the pooch was left in Brown's van when it tragically passed away, "48 hours" after the couple entrusted him to another.
The couple hired Brown after a phone interview and in-person meeting before their vacation. He has been training dogs for over 13 years under his company, K-9 Direction - which holds an average of four stars for reviews on Google.
The bride told Fox News that they "never got any kind of impression that we would be leaving and coming back home after three weeks and wouldn’t have Brooklyn".
The Dallas resident added that the accused trainer "led me and my husband to believe for an entire week that our dog was alive," as he allegedly told Masera that Brooklyn's training was going well after she had repeatedly asked him for pictures and videos during their planned three-week trip.
"I just felt like something was wrong, but my worst fear at this point is that Brooklyn is just being left in a crate and that’s it," Masera said after Brown failed to provide content. "But not that my dog has died by any means."
The publication revealed that the reason for Brown's poor communication was because the Ndukwes were in France at the time of their dog's death. "I did not call your emergency contact person - I should've, no question about that," he explained. The trainer blamed his own "cowardice," and claimed that he unintentionally left the air conditioning on in the van.
However, Emeka contended: "There’s no time that we understood that the van would be part of the care," adding, "If you see the video and the pictures of the van, you wouldn’t leave your worst enemy in that thing.”
Before learning of what happened to their precious pup, the newlyweds also discovered an alleged claim that another dog lost its life while on Brown’s watch - furthering their concerns. According to CBS Texas, the owners weren't informed about their dogs until they picked up the pet from Brown.
Due to the two devastating deaths, the Dallas area Tarrant County District Attorney’s office is now looking into both alleged incidents, per ABC 8.
"This is the type of thing that happens often, and so we’re hoping that by our story getting out there that we can raise awareness and give owners hope that are in this position," Emeka said. "There are things you can do to get justice."
