A Los Angeles woman is mourning a devastating loss after a dog trainer allegedly left her thick-coated puppy confined in a hot crate for hours, leading to the dog’s death from the heat.
The dog’s owner, Trish Mayor, said she had signed up her 11-month-old Samoyed, Kilo, for a three-week training program with a Southern California dog trainer, paying thousands of dollars for the service.
But only days after the training began, Mayor said she received an unthinkable call from the trainer telling her to come pick up her dog’s body.
The sudden death left Mayor searching for answers about how her young, white-haired Samoyed could have died while in the trainer’s care.
“She was told Kilo suffered a heart attack after being left alone in a crate for four hours in 85-degree heat. Even more painful, the trainer did not seek veterinary help and only contacted Trish the next day to tell her to come pick up Kilo’s body,” according to a GoFundMe page created to raise money for the puppy’s autopsy.
Mayor, who described adorable Kilo as the “sweetest thing this earth has ever had,” is now trying to show that the trainer was negligent while responsible for the young dog’s care.
“Trish wants answers, justice for Kilo, and protection for other dogs so this does not happen to another family. This is every pet owner’s worst nightmare, and it could happen to anyone who places trust in someone else to care for their beloved animal,” she wrote on the GoFundMe.
Mayor also posted alleged text messages involving the trainer on Instagram. In one exchange, the trainer allegedly wrote to her:
“I can’t change what happened. I take full responsibility. I broke your trust and placed your dog in the wrong hands. I never had any ill intentions toward Kilo,” the trainer said.
The trainer then said they will “know more” after the lab results and suggests they can move on. They even ask to “give me one more chance when you are ready for a new puppy.”
Mayor claims the thick-coated dog was kept in a plastic crate for hours with the room temperature set to 84 to 85. She said the crate did not have any water in it and did “not look sanitary.”
Sayomed dogs are typically bred to endure harsh winter conditions with a thick fur coat, according to the American Kennel Club.
The trainer also allegedly gave Kilo to a person who worked for the owner of the program to be cared for, Mayor said. The person told her boss that they let Kilo out on the day of his death at 6 p.m. and then they returned him to his crate, where he was found dead hours later.
His gums and tongue were blue when he was found, the trainer said.
Mayor’s fundraiser has raised more than $3,300 of its $5,000 goal so far.
The California Post reached out to Mayor and the trainer for comment.
