A Dog Trainer Who Allegedly Killed Or Sold A Dog In His Care Asked Not To Post His Texts On Social Media – Here They Are
After losing her family pet, Rachel Grace Tyrer from Jonesboro, Arkansas, says she can’t get any closure because of the dog trainer who was taking care of it at the time. She claims that her puppy, Ollie, went to Hunter Nelson’s Four-Legged Retrievers for a 4-week dog training program but ended up lasting 11 weeks there.
Rachel wasn’t happy with the prolonged puppy training stay, so she reached out to Nelson on multiple occasions, but judging from their conversation, there was always an excuse why the owner couldn’t see her dog. Eventually, she got a text saying that Ollie died and was buried. Rachel thought the circumstances surrounding her pet’s death were mysterious and suspicious, so she decided to investigate it, but according to her, Nelson wasn’t of much help. She even thinks Nelson might have resold the allegedly dead dog.
“We went to high school together and originally [he] had a good reputation,” Tyrer told Bored Panda. “Ollie was a little over two years old when I took him to the Four-Legged Retrievers for dog training classes. [At first,] Nelson was nice and understanding, [but] then slowly become extremely shady.”
The NEA Report got in touch with the alleged scammer, and he said that not everything Rachel has said is true. “It’s not a scheme and for sure not drugs, I don’t know why you would even say that,” he told them.
“Truth is [the] dog got bit by a snake [and] passed away. I should have taken [the] dog straight to [the] vet like I was supposed to do, but instead, I flipped and didn’t. [I] buried [the dog] correctly by all means, but I messed up and told her I did and shouldn’t have. Now, if you’d give me time to talk to [an] attorney, I’d greatly appreciate it by all means.”
Rachel has contacted the police, but they refused to help, saying it was a civil case. Searching for answers to this freak accident, she turned to the internet, asking if anyone knows anything that could help her. Scroll down to check out the conversation between Tyrer and Nelson she has shared and told us what you think of the whole situation in the comments.
More info: Facebook
“I couldn’t pay Nelson a surprise visit because he would not give me an accurate address,” Tyrer added. “I tried multiple times to contact other trainers to get his location, and no one had an accurate address.” And even though Nelson isn’t meeting with her, Rachel hopes to find her Ollie and is ready to do whatever it takes.
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After four weeks and the first excuse, I would have turned up in person and caused so much problems they would have been calling the police. I feel very sorry for the family; but I don't know why she waited for so long without doing something.
Yes i am surprised of how she was so patient. After 4 weeks i would have gone to pick him up. Not that itsbher fault in any way. I cant believe how the police will not investigate. Its either a case of animal abuse or theft. I would expect that to be in the polices care...
It`s still strange how the owner of Ollie seemed so calm, and let the 4 week course go up to 11 weeks, but then she couldn`t pick Ollie up because she didn`t know Hunters adress... I did some research and apparently the exact same thing happened to a few other people... Poor Ollie... Those onion chopping ninja`s are here again...
the problem is she never got the address
Hahahahahahaha. imagine thinking the police would do anything about anything.
I kind of have an idea on how the owner of the dog CAN get the dog back. There is a phone app (don`t know the name!). So if you call someone, the app changes your phone number, so that instead of your phone number it comes up with "the FBI is calling" or "the police is calling". So the lady could install the app, call Hunter Nelson and threaten him to give the dogs back, pretending she`s the police or something! Sorry if my explanation sounds rushed, i just felt like i had to help somehow, even though this idea probably won`t work. If you think this idea is ok, can you somehow contact her on facebook or whatever social media she`s using? I can`t cause i dont have an account. thnx im just so worried about the dog
I think we’re still not getting the full story here and it seems both sides are a little shady. This lady should have made a better effort to go in person and demand her dog. I question how much she actually cared for the dog considering that and that she intended to keep him purely outside. A family dog should not be forced to live outside all alone.
It seems odd to me, get a dog then hand it over to someone else to train. Then keep it outside.
Yes! Those texts were agonizing. No way I would have waited that long no matter how long I had known that dude. Why all the training for what she considers an "outside" dog? I despise outside dog owners.
@Char Char As do I!! Don't get an animal just to toss it out in the yard for the rest of its life!!!
Me too.
Yeah, it's all very strange. Why didn't she show up there (with help if she was scared, which I could understand)? How can the police say they won't get involved? If anything this is theft, and it could be animal abuse. I can't really understand the idea of just sending your dog off to training for weeks to begin with - training needs the owner to be involved - but that aside, it's still all very odd... Like, she doesn't find it at all strange that the guy wouldn't send videos, photos, or at least tell her specifics about how the dog is doing? I'm not saying she's lying, just that it's all very odd how much she just trusted this guy, who apparently had already had many cases like this but she didn't check before sending her dog to him, only after having trouble herself...
Training the animal, without also training it's owner, is pointless!! And why the training at all when she's just gonna dump him outside and forget about him?!?
I didn't even know sending dogs off for training was a thing. However I am not American
Danielle Holder I agree. It could be training to help with some sort of trauma he had, since he's adopted, but if that was the case, it's even more important for the owner to be closely involved. Even if the dog was sent somewhere, there should at least be visits from the owner a few times a week to see progress and teach the owner how to act around the dog themselves. This whole thing is weird.
Pretty sure the business is a scam. I have never heard of a program where you ship off you dog for a month to be trained, unless it’s like a police dog or a service animal. Such an obvious scam.
She didn't have the address and called all the other trainers in the area she could find and they didn't have an address for Hunter either.
I agree, I would've been there at the gate, like a lil kid on X-mas morning, at 5am (the 1st original date)
TELL ME ABOUT IT!!!! As soon as that four weeks were up I would of been on his doorstep. He would of felt my wrath, I don't take bullshit especially if my dog was involved (she is basically my kid)
Am assuming she was paying him for his training services - how could he drag it out that long without her insisting on taking the dog back? Lame excuses on his part and not caring enough on hers. Who would let someone keep your dog for 11 weeks if you wanted it back and NOT got there and demand it. Very weird post - something doesnt ring quite right with it.
I'm with you. No one would have my dog that long without me going to see him regularly. My dog was trained as well, by a reputable trainer. We took him there twice a week for an hour & stayed with him to learn the training process as well. This whole story sounds strange. This guy would be hurting bad had that been my dog.
Who the heck texts someone, firstly to tell them their dog is at the vet, and then texts them to tell them the dog has died! Do some people not actually realise a phone can be used to actually TALK to someone?
I agree that she was VERY patient. She did say at the end of her post that she had tried to find his actual address and she could not get it. He never gave it to her and anyone else she contacted also had a fake address for him also. Now this is absolutely not 100% her fault BUT I feel as a dog mom myself that if I was to EVER leave my dog somewhere for an extended amount of time you better believe my ass is checking that whole facility! I'm getting addresses I'm visiting I'm making it known that I will randomly show up,etc. my dogs daycare knows that I will randomly appear at lunch just to check on my pup so I'm confused as to how one can just leave a pet not knowing where they are
Taryn, I completely agree with you. Like you, I understand that the lady did try to meet hunter in person and put in a lot of effort to get Ollie back, but she should have been more careful int the first place. Personally I would never have let my doggo leave me for so long, though. I am a big dog lover - I think you can tell.
Again this is in no way blaming her I just believe that I would have done things much differently.
I'm curious.. how did she give Ollie to the trainer? I would NEVER let my dog go to any training without having seen where she would be staying. I get that she knew the guy from school, but still.. that's your baby..
Same! I would start getting suspicious as soon as he started to procrastinate.
Danielle Holder, exactly.
She couldn't get an accurate address for the guy.
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It was such a long conversation, that while i read it, my son who was in highschool, went to college, passed, joined army, did 3 tours, got married, had kids and now retired and sitting on porch sipping whiskey as a proud vet and asking me to tell if i have finished reading this post and hurry up to refill his glass.
Right? Seriously, at some point, I just stopped reading! She should have gone and retrieve her dog after the due time! Period.
He can refill his own glass, there are more BP articles and comments to be read and comments to be written :D
This comment has been deleted.
Sorry but how the hell could someone let what was supposed to be a 4 week "course" allow it to get to 11 weeks before thinking about taking action? I would have been there 1 day after the 4 weeks to at least see what was going on.
Right? I don’t think she actually cared for or loved that dog.
I agree. First off, she kept Ollie outside all the time. Second, she let this go on too long. And third, she said “it wouldn’t have been a big deal” if Hunter told her what happened up front. For me, it would have been a HUGE deal from day 1.
The trainer was a friend. She trusted him.
There are way too many things wrong with this story. It’s sucks, but really it’s kind of her own fault. Even to begin with: a doggy boot camp where she ships off the dog for a month?? I have NEVER heard of a training program that keeps a dog for that long, unless it’s for police dogs or service dogs. I can’t even imagine how it would be considered good for the dog to be pulled away from its home for that long. You usually either drop the dog off for the day and then pick them up afterward, or you’re with the dog learning how to train them the whole time. The whole business plan sounded insanely sketchy to me. No way in hell I’d let anyone keep my dog for a whole month.
She said he never gave an accurate address and other trainers also did t know how to actually locate him. I would have went to the police, but given she knew him from school I could see how she would have been reluctant to think I’ll at first. But, I would have demanded him back sooner though.
I would have agreed with you /before/ I moved to Texas. There is such a thing in the southern states as "southern time" so I can kinda see how one week becomes two and so on... though my red flag that the dog isn't 100% a priority she makes it out to be when she says he's a 100% outside dog. I don't know anyone who loves their dog like a member of the family who NEVER lets their dog inside. I have an Akita that loves being outdoors and I bring him inside in bad weather even though it costs me my farm security guard lol.
The trainer and the girl are both sketchy
Also the part where she said “if you had told the truth and he died it wouldn’t have been a big deal” like what ? It STILL a should have been a big deal
I agree with Chantel, the whole deal is sketchy af.
I wouldn't be able to go longer than a cpl days between visits. I also wouldn't send my baby off to be trained, and it's pointless if the owner isn't trained as well. Getting a dog just to toss it out the back door and forget about it should be illegal everywhere!
I’ve never even heard of a program where you ship off your dog for a month, unless it’s either a police dog or a service dog. That sounds like a scam to me. Any good dog trainer should know the owner has to at least be somewhat involved. You can’t ship off your dog for a month and expect them to come back being an angel.
No professional kennel or training place holds an animal 7 extra weeks without charging for it. They'd have to charge the owner for food and kennel occupancy or they'd lose a serious amount of money. This just isn't a believable scenario. Is it just some guy who takes the dog on his property for 4 weeks without any proper setup and contingency plan? No one should hire and trainer who wasn't insured or posted what their emergency protocol and policies are.
she tried trusting the trainer. we should focus on punishing that guy instead of questioning her.
Still not her fault. There are programs that extend the training if need be and maybe he was a dog that needed to be trained, why he was at a dog trainer.. Still not her fault.
He said they've known each other for a while. If a friend of mine did this, I would be worried but not as much as if it was a stranger...
After four weeks and the first excuse, I would have turned up in person and caused so much problems they would have been calling the police. I feel very sorry for the family; but I don't know why she waited for so long without doing something.
Yes i am surprised of how she was so patient. After 4 weeks i would have gone to pick him up. Not that itsbher fault in any way. I cant believe how the police will not investigate. Its either a case of animal abuse or theft. I would expect that to be in the polices care...
It`s still strange how the owner of Ollie seemed so calm, and let the 4 week course go up to 11 weeks, but then she couldn`t pick Ollie up because she didn`t know Hunters adress... I did some research and apparently the exact same thing happened to a few other people... Poor Ollie... Those onion chopping ninja`s are here again...
the problem is she never got the address
Hahahahahahaha. imagine thinking the police would do anything about anything.
I kind of have an idea on how the owner of the dog CAN get the dog back. There is a phone app (don`t know the name!). So if you call someone, the app changes your phone number, so that instead of your phone number it comes up with "the FBI is calling" or "the police is calling". So the lady could install the app, call Hunter Nelson and threaten him to give the dogs back, pretending she`s the police or something! Sorry if my explanation sounds rushed, i just felt like i had to help somehow, even though this idea probably won`t work. If you think this idea is ok, can you somehow contact her on facebook or whatever social media she`s using? I can`t cause i dont have an account. thnx im just so worried about the dog
I think we’re still not getting the full story here and it seems both sides are a little shady. This lady should have made a better effort to go in person and demand her dog. I question how much she actually cared for the dog considering that and that she intended to keep him purely outside. A family dog should not be forced to live outside all alone.
It seems odd to me, get a dog then hand it over to someone else to train. Then keep it outside.
Yes! Those texts were agonizing. No way I would have waited that long no matter how long I had known that dude. Why all the training for what she considers an "outside" dog? I despise outside dog owners.
@Char Char As do I!! Don't get an animal just to toss it out in the yard for the rest of its life!!!
Me too.
Yeah, it's all very strange. Why didn't she show up there (with help if she was scared, which I could understand)? How can the police say they won't get involved? If anything this is theft, and it could be animal abuse. I can't really understand the idea of just sending your dog off to training for weeks to begin with - training needs the owner to be involved - but that aside, it's still all very odd... Like, she doesn't find it at all strange that the guy wouldn't send videos, photos, or at least tell her specifics about how the dog is doing? I'm not saying she's lying, just that it's all very odd how much she just trusted this guy, who apparently had already had many cases like this but she didn't check before sending her dog to him, only after having trouble herself...
Training the animal, without also training it's owner, is pointless!! And why the training at all when she's just gonna dump him outside and forget about him?!?
I didn't even know sending dogs off for training was a thing. However I am not American
Danielle Holder I agree. It could be training to help with some sort of trauma he had, since he's adopted, but if that was the case, it's even more important for the owner to be closely involved. Even if the dog was sent somewhere, there should at least be visits from the owner a few times a week to see progress and teach the owner how to act around the dog themselves. This whole thing is weird.
Pretty sure the business is a scam. I have never heard of a program where you ship off you dog for a month to be trained, unless it’s like a police dog or a service animal. Such an obvious scam.
She didn't have the address and called all the other trainers in the area she could find and they didn't have an address for Hunter either.
I agree, I would've been there at the gate, like a lil kid on X-mas morning, at 5am (the 1st original date)
TELL ME ABOUT IT!!!! As soon as that four weeks were up I would of been on his doorstep. He would of felt my wrath, I don't take bullshit especially if my dog was involved (she is basically my kid)
Am assuming she was paying him for his training services - how could he drag it out that long without her insisting on taking the dog back? Lame excuses on his part and not caring enough on hers. Who would let someone keep your dog for 11 weeks if you wanted it back and NOT got there and demand it. Very weird post - something doesnt ring quite right with it.
I'm with you. No one would have my dog that long without me going to see him regularly. My dog was trained as well, by a reputable trainer. We took him there twice a week for an hour & stayed with him to learn the training process as well. This whole story sounds strange. This guy would be hurting bad had that been my dog.
Who the heck texts someone, firstly to tell them their dog is at the vet, and then texts them to tell them the dog has died! Do some people not actually realise a phone can be used to actually TALK to someone?
I agree that she was VERY patient. She did say at the end of her post that she had tried to find his actual address and she could not get it. He never gave it to her and anyone else she contacted also had a fake address for him also. Now this is absolutely not 100% her fault BUT I feel as a dog mom myself that if I was to EVER leave my dog somewhere for an extended amount of time you better believe my ass is checking that whole facility! I'm getting addresses I'm visiting I'm making it known that I will randomly show up,etc. my dogs daycare knows that I will randomly appear at lunch just to check on my pup so I'm confused as to how one can just leave a pet not knowing where they are
Taryn, I completely agree with you. Like you, I understand that the lady did try to meet hunter in person and put in a lot of effort to get Ollie back, but she should have been more careful int the first place. Personally I would never have let my doggo leave me for so long, though. I am a big dog lover - I think you can tell.
Again this is in no way blaming her I just believe that I would have done things much differently.
I'm curious.. how did she give Ollie to the trainer? I would NEVER let my dog go to any training without having seen where she would be staying. I get that she knew the guy from school, but still.. that's your baby..
Same! I would start getting suspicious as soon as he started to procrastinate.
Danielle Holder, exactly.
She couldn't get an accurate address for the guy.
This comment has been deleted.
It was such a long conversation, that while i read it, my son who was in highschool, went to college, passed, joined army, did 3 tours, got married, had kids and now retired and sitting on porch sipping whiskey as a proud vet and asking me to tell if i have finished reading this post and hurry up to refill his glass.
Right? Seriously, at some point, I just stopped reading! She should have gone and retrieve her dog after the due time! Period.
He can refill his own glass, there are more BP articles and comments to be read and comments to be written :D
This comment has been deleted.
Sorry but how the hell could someone let what was supposed to be a 4 week "course" allow it to get to 11 weeks before thinking about taking action? I would have been there 1 day after the 4 weeks to at least see what was going on.
Right? I don’t think she actually cared for or loved that dog.
I agree. First off, she kept Ollie outside all the time. Second, she let this go on too long. And third, she said “it wouldn’t have been a big deal” if Hunter told her what happened up front. For me, it would have been a HUGE deal from day 1.
The trainer was a friend. She trusted him.
There are way too many things wrong with this story. It’s sucks, but really it’s kind of her own fault. Even to begin with: a doggy boot camp where she ships off the dog for a month?? I have NEVER heard of a training program that keeps a dog for that long, unless it’s for police dogs or service dogs. I can’t even imagine how it would be considered good for the dog to be pulled away from its home for that long. You usually either drop the dog off for the day and then pick them up afterward, or you’re with the dog learning how to train them the whole time. The whole business plan sounded insanely sketchy to me. No way in hell I’d let anyone keep my dog for a whole month.
She said he never gave an accurate address and other trainers also did t know how to actually locate him. I would have went to the police, but given she knew him from school I could see how she would have been reluctant to think I’ll at first. But, I would have demanded him back sooner though.
I would have agreed with you /before/ I moved to Texas. There is such a thing in the southern states as "southern time" so I can kinda see how one week becomes two and so on... though my red flag that the dog isn't 100% a priority she makes it out to be when she says he's a 100% outside dog. I don't know anyone who loves their dog like a member of the family who NEVER lets their dog inside. I have an Akita that loves being outdoors and I bring him inside in bad weather even though it costs me my farm security guard lol.
The trainer and the girl are both sketchy
Also the part where she said “if you had told the truth and he died it wouldn’t have been a big deal” like what ? It STILL a should have been a big deal
I agree with Chantel, the whole deal is sketchy af.
I wouldn't be able to go longer than a cpl days between visits. I also wouldn't send my baby off to be trained, and it's pointless if the owner isn't trained as well. Getting a dog just to toss it out the back door and forget about it should be illegal everywhere!
I’ve never even heard of a program where you ship off your dog for a month, unless it’s either a police dog or a service dog. That sounds like a scam to me. Any good dog trainer should know the owner has to at least be somewhat involved. You can’t ship off your dog for a month and expect them to come back being an angel.
No professional kennel or training place holds an animal 7 extra weeks without charging for it. They'd have to charge the owner for food and kennel occupancy or they'd lose a serious amount of money. This just isn't a believable scenario. Is it just some guy who takes the dog on his property for 4 weeks without any proper setup and contingency plan? No one should hire and trainer who wasn't insured or posted what their emergency protocol and policies are.
she tried trusting the trainer. we should focus on punishing that guy instead of questioning her.
Still not her fault. There are programs that extend the training if need be and maybe he was a dog that needed to be trained, why he was at a dog trainer.. Still not her fault.