We handed over our beloved puppy to a dog training camp – he came back dead and we still don’t have answers
A FAMILY is desperate for answers after they handed over their beloved puppy to a dog training camp and the pooch came back dead.
Sisters Christina and Celina said Winnie was just 14 months old when his life was cut short.
The Zazzarino family, from Sydney, Australia, had decided to get him professionally trained because while he was dearly loved, he was a handful to deal with.
Celina told the 9News programme A Current Affair: “(We) took our dog to doggy training and never got him back.”
The family says Winnie was “completely healthy” when they took him to the vet the day before dropping him off at Elite Performance K9, based in west Syndey.
Celina had found the facility online which had gained a 4.6-star rating and good reviews.
The family paid out £782 ($1,515) for their beloved pet to spend two weeks at the trainer’s and they were initially told the pup was doing well.
But on the fourth day that changed.
Celina said: “I received a call and the lady said that Winston hadn’t been eating for four days.
“She had asked what Winston likes… she said they were going to go to the shops and buy that.”
While the family became concerned about Winnie they also wanted to trust the professionals.
But after a week of getting no update on Winnie, Celina sent the head trainer Omar Obaidi a text message asking for an update.
Obaidi replied, saying: “Winston is doing really well! Loving his time here.
“Still a bit of a fussy eater but eating better now.”
However, later that day, Elite Performance K9 called Celina to tell her they were taking their dog to the vet.
Celina said they told her he just had a stomach pain and was dehydrated and told her he had been give hydralytes and medication.
Becoming concerned, the family asked if they should pick Winnie up, but were reassured he was fine.
The following day, the training facility sent photos of Winnie along with a text saying he “looks on the mend”.
But just 24 hours later they got a call saying he wasn’t doing well.
Celina said they then got another call telling them they were going to take him to the vet first thing and then bring him home.
Winnie though didn’t make it home and the family were told to say their goodbyes to him at the vet.
When the family went to see Winnie, he is said to have lost weight and was dying.
In a bid to find answers, the heartbroken family turned to social media to get answers from Elite Performance K9, with their post going viral.
Elite Performance K9 refunded their money and offered to pay for Winnie’s vet care, but requested them not to share their story.
Winnie was clearly very sick and the trainers should have picked it up sooner, according to vet Dr Rob Zammit.
Dr Zammit said: “If a dog is sick, for goodness sake you should know that as a professional trainer, you should be able to assess whether the dog is healthy or not.
“If a dog is not eating and losing weight like that, you ring the owners straight away and say, ‘come back, grab your dog, this is not working out’.”
A Current Affair attempted to contact Obaidi who initially agreed to meet but then never showed up.
He later sent the show a lengthy legal letter, in which he denied any wrongdoing.
It said, in part: “Our client strenuously denies that they had any part to play in the death of Winnie and to the contrary, provided the best quality care, including medical care at their own cost, to assist Winnie and his owners.”
The family are still waiting on the results of an autopsy to know what caused the pooch’s death and whether it relates to his stay with the dog trainer.