Police investigate after owners charged dog trainer with abuse, neglect after injuries and disappearances


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Dog owners in Encino, South Gate and Downey accuse DogFit23 of abuse and neglect.

“When is it going to end? How many dogs are yet to be injured or lost,” asked Angelia Gaxiola of Encino.

In January, Gaxiola took her beloved Keeno, a German Shepherd, to DogFit23 in South Gate for a seven-day training session with owner Eli Hernandez. A few days later, she received the terrible news that Keeno was missing.

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Gaxiola’s fiancée Sergio Ornelas said: “He shows no empathy, he enlightens you. He blamed Keeno for running away on Keeno.”

FOX 11 has reached out to Hernandez for comment on Keeno. He told us, “During a training session, he ran away. He ran away. He was a very fast dog and I couldn’t keep up with him. We have made efforts to find it.

It has been over 6 months and Keeno is still missing.

DogFit23 has other complaints from customers who say their dogs were injured while in Hernandez’s care.

“I was shocked to see the injuries he had on his face,” said Jacky Villalobos, of South Gate.

Villalobos paid Hernandez $ 700 for a seven-day training session. She dropped off her dog, a purebred boxer named Koko. When Villalobos picked it up, part of the skin on Koko’s face had been torn off.

“When they took off the muzzle, it looked like his skin was attached to the muzzle because he had lost a lot of skin on his face. If you look at his neck, he has cuts and lacerations on his neck,” said Villalobos.

We asked Hernandez for an explanation of Koko’s injuries. He said, “He (Koko) came out of the kennel and he hurt himself.”

Another couple from Downey hired Hernandez to train their Malinois named Buck. Before the sevenThe one day training session was over, they learned that Buck had been attacked by another dog staying at DogFit23.

Buck ended up in the veterinary hospital with a leg injury.

“It wasn’t just his leg, it was actually his whole neck, the top of his head and he had lost so much weight,” said Buck owner Irma Navarro.

In his defense, Hernandez said: “I have had a few accidents yes, and like I said, I do my best to make sure every dog ​​comes back better than they came. dogs that have behavioral problems and they do. have accidents. ”

When we asked Hernandez where he received his training, he replied, “I have the experience of life.

South Gate Police Department Captain Darren Arakawa told FOX 11 that DogFit23 is currently under investigation.

“We will go through everything with our animal control services and determine whether or not he is able to provide these services that he offers and determine whether there has been negligence on his part,” he said.

In Keeno’s case, Hernandez was brought to justice and ordered to pay $ 2,000.

In the case of Koko and Buck, Hernandez reimbursed the $ 700 training fee and he paid Buck’s vet’s bill.

But for these dog parents, that’s not enough. They want DogFit23 to be stopped.

“We just don’t want anyone to feel what we feel on a daily basis,” said Gaxiola.

Hernandez’s lawyer Jorge Ledezma made the following statement:

“DOGFIT23 is proud of the work they do to train dogs on behalf of dog owners in the community. DOGFIT23 has trained over 400 dogs in recent years. Less than 0.1% of DOGFIT23 customers reported incidents or complaints.

Regarding the incident involving Kino, the public should know that Kino ran away during a training session. Unfortunately, all efforts to catch and bring Kino home have failed. The owners of Kino subsequently filed a complaint. As part of the lawsuit, the owners of Kino accepted payment of $ 2,000 from DOGFIT23 as full compensation for their loss several months ago. The fact that Kino’s owners took to the media with his allegations after being fully compensated shows that their intentions are driven by irrational animosity.

In a separate incident, a dog bit another dog. DOGFIT23 covered all vet bills related to this incident.
The public is aware that some dogs that come to DOGFIT23 have behavioral issues. By industry standards followed, a small percentage of incidents are part of the business.

DOGFIT23 is fully insured and is responsible for any injury that may occur while the dogs are in its care. “

Tune into FOX 11 Los Angeles for the latest news from Southern California.

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