WASHINGTON, Mo. (First Alert 4) – A family is pushing the state to make safety changes after their beloved dog was killed by another dog at a Franklin County boarding and training center. The attacking dog belonged to the owner and trainer at K9 University.
As it turns out, this wasn’t the first deadly attack at the center.
In July, Sean and Kelli Brinker took their three young sons on vacation in California. While they were gone, they booked Hazel, their 2-year-old King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, at K9-University.
The Washington, Missouri center is owned by Vicki Russell, where she offers the works, including dog breeding, grooming, daycare, boarding, and training.
The Brinkers said they planned for Hazel to spend a week there and receive off-leash training.
“I was very excited. I told everyone Hazel is going to doggy school,” Kelli Brinker said.
Hazel’s stay was cut short, two days before she was supposed to go home, the Brinkers say they got a phone call from Russell.
“She told us she’s gone,” Sean Brinker said. “Hazel was picked up by another dog and, as she put it, shook like a rag doll.”
An affidavit Russell provided state investigators shows that other dog was a 2-year-old standard poodle owned by Russell.
“She’s supposed to be a trainer, and you would think her own dog, above all other dogs, would be well trained,” Sean Brinker said.
The Brinkers filed a formal complaint with the Missouri Department of Agriculture, which licenses dog boarders and breeders.
When state inspectors showed up, Russell told them she put the dogs in separate fenced areas outside, unsupervised. State records show Russell said her dog “must have somehow opened the gate” and gotten to Hazel, and by the time Russell found Hazel, she was already dead.
Inspectors spotted a security camera recording that area, but Russell didn’t save the video. It’s a record inspectors say she should have known to keep. The year before, Russell was cited by state inspectors for not keeping records when another dog died in her care.
In July 2023, two-year-old Marty, a five-pound Maltipoo, stayed at K9 University while his family was on vacation.
State investigative reports show he was left outside in a fenced area but slipped through a gap and was attacked by a poodle. He was taken to a vet, where he died from his injuries. The report doesn’t mention that the attacking poodle was owned by Russell. First Alert 4 Investigates learned it was the same dog that killed Hazel almost a year to the day later.
Marty’s owners didn’t want to re-live what happened in an on-camera interview but agreed to a phone call with First Alert 4 Investigates.
They claim Russell never told them who owned the attacking dog and assured them the dog would not be allowed back at K9 University.
The dog kept going to the facility and state inspectors didn’t take any disciplinary action. Instead, they cited Russell for two violations: not keeping Marty’s records and putting him in a yard that wasn’t secure.
First Alert 4 Investigates stopped by the facility and met Russell, who wouldn’t talk on camera.
Hours later Russell sent the following email:
Thank you for the opportunity, however, I will not be coming in to talk with Channel 4. I would like to say this…
I started K9 University for my love of dogs and to help both dogs and people. As the owner, I feel compelled to publicly express my heartfelt sympathy to all families impacted by the recent sorrows at the facility. I would hope that you would realize that my facility is not the only facility in which incidents occur, unforeseen altercations can occur between animals. Bad things happen to good people and just as people do not always get along, animals do not always get along. I TRULY regret the profound loss that we ALL are feeling. The other animal involved in the altercations has been removed from the facility and we will continue to strive for a safe and fun environment for all of our furry friends. I trust our collective condolences, prayers and time will help lead us all to better days ahead. With All due Sympathy, I shall remain, Respectfully yours.
Matt Rold is the Animal Care Facilities Act Program Coordinator at the Missouri Department of Agriculture. It’s his team’s job to license and inspect facilities.
Rold says the first case, Marty’s death, didn’t result in disciplinary action because they considered it a “freak accident.”
“I would be angry myself. However, we have to look at it without that emotion involved, and we didn’t know that dog, that this would happen a second time,” Rold said.
In Hazel’s case, state inspectors found five violations, including leaving her unsupervised in an unsecure fenced area, the same violation they found in Marty’s attack.
When inspectors checked the fences weeks after Hazel’s death, they still weren’t locked.
When asked if he thought more could have been done to prevent the attacks Rold answered, “certainly on behalf of the licensee.”
Instead of a formal disciplinary hearing over Hazel’s death, the state settled with Russell, fining her $1,000 and stating there needs to be physical separation between her breeding dogs and client dogs.
State records note Russell put her dog down the same day it attacked Hazel.
“We have a pattern of negligence, and I think my wife would agree that if we had known about the first dog, we never would have sent Hazel there,” Sean Brinker said.
State reports on inspections at dog boarding and training centers, including violations and disciplinary actions, are all public records. Getting those records requires knowing how to use Missouri’s Sunshine Law which allows access to public records. Unlike places such as daycares and restaurants, the state doesn’t put information about dog boarders online.
“I’m surprised that it hasn’t been brought up,” Rold said. When asked if he thinks it’s something that the department should be looking at, Rold answered, “After this particular situation, I can let you know that is something we are considering.”
The state learned of both dog attacks because the families reported them. Nothing requires boarders to report if an animal dies in their care.
“They should have to report to the state when there’s an incident like that, so it can be more thoroughly investigated,” said Bob Baker, the Executive Director of the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation.
Baker and the Alliance fought for the licensing of dog breeders and boarders.
“Unfortunately, it always takes a bad incident for anything to be corrected and looked at,” Baker said. “Maybe this is a good opportunity for people to sit around, like our organization and others, and consider what we can do.”
While the Brinkers look back on photos with Hazel, they hope the state will think about their family and make changes.
“He asked if he can go to doggy heaven and see Hazel,” Sean Brinker said talking about one of their sons. “It is very difficult to explain to them that the puppy they love is never coming home. It takes an emotional toll on a parent.”
The Missouri Attorney General’s Office says it can investigate if it receives complaints about boarding and training centers.
While information about state licenses, inspections, and disciplinary action are currently not up online they are publicly available under the Sunshine Law. A request for those records can be filled out online with the Missouri Department of Agriculture.
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