Independence paws Lauren Trathen, Veronika Hair, Johnnie Stafford Service dog lies, scam, and racial slurs SAN DIEGO California

(SD-Service Dog)

(SDiT-Service Dog in Training)

 

****Nothing I have posted here is false accusations, everything here can be backed up via Screenshots of messages, actual saved messages still on my computer, or third party witnesses accounts of what happened, or witnesses statements of what they saw.****

 

Let me start by saying how upsetting it is that an organization centered around working with disabled persons would treat a person like this.

 

1. It was advertised as the flight would be free for the SDiT.

2. Turned out I had to pay for the flight.

3. The dog only needed a year of training left. (supposedly)

4. I would have a trainer (Johnnie Stafford) meeting with me 2-3 times a week, at minimum once a week.

5. The trainer only met with me 5 times in a three month time. (only 2-3 sessions being an hour long, all others were shorter than 15-30 minutes)

6. The organization blamed most of the behavioral problems with the SDiT on the puppy raiser. (why did the organization not temperament test her before placing her with me?) 7. The trainer was using unethical practices to work my SDiT as well as her own. 8. The trainer is using an 8 month old puppy for light mobility assistance.

9. The trainer referred to my husband as a "n****r" while using various racial slurs around my home. (I have witnesses)-(they allowed me to continue to train on my own with very little help)

10. After cutting ties with the trainer, and after Tessa washing out, the organization had me send the dog back with the same trainer who used racial slurs around my home, while making me feel threatened in my own home because of the hostility. ((When I had offered to send someone else, who I trusted handling Tessa instead of the trainer who hit her, they told me I could only have their trainer fly with her or myself/knowing I can't fly till august due to my recent surgery))

11. Even though the SDiT had “Washed out” (no longer a SD or SDiT/simply a pet/ESA at most) the pet had flown with the trainer on a plane in the cabin.

It was posted all over that the SDiT was coming on a free flight. Turns out they had me pay for that. To make that worse they told me "the ticket is like $275" turns out after they book the flight then say I need to reimburse them the total turns out to be $556.

 

That is not the worst part where I got screwed. I was very new to the Service Dog world, I did not know how a SD(SDiT) should act. Nor did I understand the temperaments of how a SD(SDiT) should be before they become an official SD(SDiT).

The dog received, I was originally told she would only need maybe a year left of training for her "disability specific tasks"...Not once was "behavior modification" mentioned.

 

[[January 16th]]

When the plane landed the first thing that happens is the trainer who was working with me at the time greeted the dog wrong. We both went up to Tessa got down on her level I grabbed some treats from Lauren and let Tessa come to me. The Trainer (Johnnie Stafford) proceeded to smoosh tessa’s face to her own. Tessa then snapped in the trainers face. (knowing what I know now that dog should have been put right back on the plane) It clearly didn't have the temperament for Service Dog work.

 

[[January 25th]]

1st Incident: The trainer brought their SDiT over to my apartment and her way of letting the dogs get comfortable with each other was to leave both my pet and my SDiT in their kennels and allow this new dog (trainers SDiT) to roam my house to "check the place out" nether my SDiT nor my pet liked this. The trainer then wanted to sit and get to know my SDiT while she was playing with a bone. she allowed her SDiT to attempt to take the bone from my SDiT (she bit him above the eye)... The trainer then said why didn't you tell me she was "food/toy/bone aggressive" well clearly I had no idea...I don't let my dogs openly have bones they each get bones separately in their kennels (so things like this don't even have a chance to happen) The trainer then did not want to let the organization know this, because "it wasn't her fault" (so I had to continue blindly working with a dog who was already showing signs of Resource guarding/aggression)

This specific trainer who was supposed to meet me 2-3 times a week (minimum once a week) had only met me 5 times in three months. Only 2-3 of those were longer than an hour session.

 

[[February 17th]]

2nd Incident: My SDiT had to be spayed in February. 10 days after her spay we had to go back in for a check-up. During this check-up walking into the Banfield vet area my SDiT lunged and snapped at another dog. I got her into a back room with one of the vet techs and even after the door was closed she continued to bark at the door and wouldn't put her back to it. After that I called my trainer and attempted to describe what happened (had major anxiety from it, and was scared for my SDiT).

Instead of the trainer offering any help she simply said that I needed to exercise her more. When I asked if she could come with me to see what happened and if it happened again she could handle it or would know how to handle my SDiT, seeing how she was the trainer. Her response was "Well I can get a pretty good idea of what she is doing, just put a head halter on her and control her head when you go to pick her up". When I asked if she could please come and see what was happening because at the time I wasn't describing it correctly with all my emotions going crazy. She said "I don't have my truck so I wont be able to meet you" I then offered to pick her up, buy her lunch, and take her back to her home after. Then the excuse changed to "well I'm watching a dog for a friend." I just left it at that figuring I wouldn't get help that day.

Since that day my SDiT had been getting progressively worse, and every time I asked for help I was met with some form of excuse or complete avoidance by the trainer. My SDiT had been barking at other dogs, lunging at other dogs, snapping, and worst of all, she had allowed two people to pet her and mid way through the petting she flipped and started barking in their face (with no body language warning) and snapped at them. luckily I was able to pull her back and get her either inside our home or back into the car and head back home.

After contacting the organization and receiving no help with Tessa and her "reactivity/aggression" because they have "full faith in their trainers abilities" I contacted the trainer again and said ok we really need to set up a time for you to see what is wrong with Tessa.

 

[[March 25th]]

A few days after my brain surgery. I was supposed to be on bed rest (for two weeks) and I was on multiple Pain Killers, but my trainer insisted I do training because "it is in your contract and you can't violate that or the organization can sue you for the cost of Tessa and her training"...

What happened that day was the trainer had a local self trained SD team, T. and her dogs, sit at the end of the sidewalk. What she didn't tell me was she was going to have T. have her dogs bark...This was not told to me, I was told she will just be sitting there with her dogs to see how Tessa reacts. Well Tessa reacted barking at the trainers empty truck and instead of allowing Tessa and I to walk away she grabbed the leash and forced Tessa who was now freaking out closer to the truck that was scaring her (she was in complete panic mode). When Tessa wouldn't stop barking the trainer tried to put her body between the truck and Tessa. When Tessa did not stop barking I tried to take her leash to remove her from the situation, because this clearly wasn't working. The trainer wouldn't let me instead she hit Tessa on her side and Tessa still did not stop barking she only cowered at the Trainers hand, when she tried again. When she went to do it the second time I grabbed the leash and started walking and told her to NOT follow us. I started to get Tessa to calm down. (we were doing circles in the back yard). The trainer then, doing exactly what I asked her Not to do, came around the corner with her SDiT, Who Tessa has had problems with before (he was the one she bit over a bone). Tessa freaked out again and started to bark and lunge at the trainer and her dog. The trainer then said "Look this isn't going to work we can just put her back inside her kennel for the day".

The racial slurs comments were around my home and it was brought to my attention by someone in my home and I looked back at my home security camera and saw and heard it for myself. There were a few other racial comments made around myself and others. After that I cut ties with her and called the organization.

 

[[May 18]]

Tessa had been excited for a neighbor to pet her and I had her sit and focus on me, she did these things. Then when the neighbor was petting her with no warning she snapped and almost bit him he backed away I spewed apologies and got Tessa inside as quickly as I could.

 

[[May 27th]]

Tessa is finally washed out “officially” after she turned and came at me, barking and had bit me when I entered my own home. Tessa was washed after the first time she came at me.

During this whole process I was told if Tessa had washed she would be replaced at no charge to me because they would "owe" me a dog. I had sent a message a few days ago inquiring about this promise, only to be met with rude backhanded comments and a blatant "No".

Now I DO NOT want another dog from this organization, I would not work with them again if you paid me to. The fact that they lied to me multiple times was bad enough.

 

Granted Tessa is washed now and she is back in California with the Organization who sent her to me. Issues are still coming from them. They are trying to get me to sign an NDA so I can't talk about any of this. Yet in our original contract their was no mention of an NDA, nor was it told to me, to be "released from contract". Also they are claiming I have to sign a new "release of contract" to get out of my current contract when in fact my half of the contract has been fulfilled, as the dog had been returned in the condition given.

 

This has been a massive s**t storm with this company and I would NEVER recommend them. As I am their very first "program dog" for a veteran. I am sure I wouldn't have to sign an NDA if I was considered a "success".

 

[[[[any question of proof can be asked for...I have screenshots and recorded messages of every contact made outside of some face to face correspondence that didn't get caught on camera.]]]]

 

[[Through-out the noted dates were various other incidences these ones noted are just the worse ones]]

 

This dog gave me hope when I first saw her, I saw myself able to go out in public and become independent. They gave me full assurance I would have help every step of the way. That is far from what happened. My disabilities that require mitigation via a SD or Medication include Light mobility assistance, PTSD, BPD, and a recent shunt placement for Intracranial Hypertension (causes me to have random blindness).