How to choose a dog trainer to avoid getting scammed

One month after we put down our pet Bono because of old age, my father adopted a mongrel.

We named him Chimmy, after the BT21 character of BTS’ Jimin and even at two months old, his energy was to the brim. 

My dad said Chimmy's a pure-bred Golden Retriever, but as he was growing up, we were convinced he looked more like a cross between a Belgian Malinois and Doberman.

According to the vet, Chimmy looked more an aspin. But no matter his looks: The dog was strong.

At barely a year old, one excited pounce from Chimmy is enough to push my 66-year-old dad off balance. Off-leash, Chimmy loves scurrying around the garden, munching on dirt or my grandmother’s plants. Sometimes, he'd topple garbage bins in search of a snack. Every time we visit him, he lunges at us with a force enough to knock off a toddler.

His strength and energy had us worried; there were senior citizens at home.

So off I went looking for reliable dog trainers in Metro Manila. In the long list on Facebook's Marketplace was "Tonyo" (not his real name), a 30-something dog trainer with a small training business in Cavite. His FB page was peppered with updates and videos about his "wards."

When I interviewed him on the phone, he sounded like a nice, dog-loving person. I grilled him on his techniques and he told me about his plans to tame our "hype beast." He said these behavioral problems can be resolved with obedience training.

Among the trainers I inquired, Tonyo offered the cheapest service: P15000 for a month's worth of board and lodging, provided I send money for Chimmy's food and other needs. If our pet turns out to be a slow learner, Tonyo promised to continue training him for free.

Sounds like a good deal, right? Wrong.

My first mistake was agreeing for Tonyo to pick Chimmy up from our QC house.

According to a friend who also sent her dog to boarding school, we should've brought Chimmy to the trainer's house instead. This way, we can see the actual location of his training school.

Chimmy at pickup

My second mistake was sending Tonyo a P12,000-down payment without a signed contract. He sent me a digital copy but it wasn't signed and I completely took it for granted.

One week into Chimmy's boarding school experience, Tonyo only sent one video update: Chimmy eating besides a kennel.

I would constantly send him messages asking for updates on Chimmy and Tonyo assured me he's been able to correct Chimmy's agitated reactions. But whenever I asked for proof, weeks would go by without a decent update.

One month after Chimmy left, our family started to worry.

When I called Tonyo to get Chimmy back, thing started to go south. He kept rescheduling with a myriad of excuses.

On the week he was scheduled to send Chimmy home, his line went dead. He also stopped answering his DMs on Messenger.

On Tonyo's business page, my sister and I started leaving rants and messages. We received a reply from Tess (not her real name) who got duped like us.

She needed help with her huge and hugely destructive Labrador-Golden Retriever and the consistent posts on Tonyo's page were enough for Tess. She paid him P10,000 in advance but after countless reschedules, he failed to even go to her house to pick up the dog.

She asked for a refund but things turned sour when the trainer threatened her partner with assault.
  
"I want my money back, but my family feared for my safety. People should be wary of trainers like him. He is a scammer and should be punished!"

To Train or not To Train

According to Idrian Cuevas, president of K-9 Trainers Council of the Philippines, an affiliate of the Philippine Canine Club, Inc., there is no formal accreditation of dog trainers here in the Philippines.

“There is no regulating body for dog trainers in the country, most of the professional handlers are under the PCCI, and we know each other because we meet during dog show competitions,” Cuevas said.

He advised furparents to know the full name and address of their pet’s potential trainer. “Don’t believe that they are associated with PCCI if they cannot present a PCCI-issued ID as a trainer. It’s for your pet’s safety and you can be assured that your trainer will be responsible for your furbabies,” Cuevas said.

He also warned people about the risk of looking for pet trainers on social media. Some, like Tonyo, may just have basic training knowledge, which they pass off as  professional training: “Some worked as assistants to professional dog trainers, some are really talented with pets, their rates may be cheaper, but you’re not sure about the quality of service they’ll provide.”

There is no standard price for training as most trainers have their own rate. Some charge per session, while there are others who charge weekly.

On the average, teaching small breeds can cost P500 per day or P15,000 a month. Most of the time, the owners will also have to provide the dog food, vitamins, shampoo, and check up fees if the pet has to be brought to the veterinarian.

“You can also have your dog trained even if they are not purebred. We highly recommend it especially if your pet has obedience problems. Just make sure that their anti-rabies shots are updated, for you and your trainer’s safety in case your pet becomes aggressive.” Cuevas said.

Based on his experience, it usually takes three to four months before a dog becomes well-behaved.

Home service is advisable if a trainer can visit your pet daily, but people on-the-go send their pets to “boarding school.”

However, boarding schools for pets don’t always guarantee that they will be treated “humanely.”

Nena Buczek, a former colleague, shared her experience when she sent her pet ‘Adobo’ to dog school in the United States. She felt that her pet was not well taken care of while they were gone, which explained why he seemed “scared” of people for a while, “Naiyak talaga ako when I first saw our puppy. Okay na siya, but it took a week bago siya bumalik to his old self.”

Like a scene from Imbestigador… or not

After I posted about Chimmy’s plight on social media, Tonyo finally replied and apologized for not updating us for two months. He said he was unable to focus on his duties because of his personal problems. He pleaded to make it up to us and asked for another week of extension so he could make sure that Chimmy’s training is “complete.”

He even volunteered to drop my pet at our house in Quezon City to save us from the trip to Cavite.

I obliged. Another big mistake.

One week passed and Tonyo failed to return Chimmy. No video calls either.

Tonyo "ghosted" us once again, but thankfully this time, I had his full address.

We coordinated in advance with the barangay where he said he lived and they confirmed he is a resident there. And so we endured more than two hours driving from QC to Cavite.

At the barangay hall to get a blotter

When we arrived at the barangay hall, we immediately filed a blotter report for safety and record purposes. Then the barangay’s peace and order officers graciously escorted us to Tonyo’s house.

Our meet-up was not as eventful as I imagined it to be. He mumbled a litany of excuses why he wasn’t able to return Chimmy to us that afternoon. The stress of dealing with this issue is already taking its toll, so I just asked to see my dog.

I had to fight back tears the moment I saw Chimmy. He looked thinner, but his energy level was still through the roof. He jumped in excitement when he saw us, and I was comforted with the fact that at least, he still knows us.

We settled the matter at the barangay hall, where we asked for a "demo" of the skills Chimmy learned in the two months he was gone. Unfortunately, he did not show any improvement.

Apparently, Tonyo was known in the neighborhood as a dog walker. He used to work as an assistant for other dog trainers in the area and when he thought he learned enough tricks of the trade, he decided to set up his own shop. Business seemed okay during the first few months, but somehow, his debts and personal issues got way out of hand and he resorted to scamming his clients.

We filed a formal agreement with Tonyo at the barangay and his family returned our downpayment on his behalf. I pushed through with this article to inform other pawrents about the risks of hiring trainers through social media. His family also found out about the other victim, Tess. Hopefully, he settles his issues before he resume with his business.

The drive home was not as ‘smooth’ as we hoped it would be, as my sister held on to Chimmy while he thrashed and played rough with her at the backseat of our car. Obviously, he’s still “uncouth,” hyper, and untrained, but we’ll deal with that for another day.

For now, we’re just happy Chimmy’s back.

— LA, GMA News